Removal of polyaromatic hydrocarbons from waste water by electrocoagulation

In the present study, two important groups of factors were studied; the first one corresponds to the Electrocoagulation (EC) process parameters such as current density, pH, electrolysis time and electrolyte concentration that were investigated in terms of their effects on the removal efficiencies of polyaromatic hydrocarbons,  specially β-naphthols.  The second group of factors analyses the effect of three different anode geometries on the percentage removal of β-naphthols. The present study achieved the following results: The optimum conditions for the removal of β-naphthols for cell No. 1 and 2 were achieved at current density 20 mA/cm2, initial pH 7 treated volumes 1.5 L, NaCl concentration 1 g/L and temperature 25°C. Meanwhile, the optimum conditions for cell No. 3 achieved at 106 mA/cm2, initial pH = 7, NaCl concentration = 1 g/L and temperature 25°C, treated volume = 0.5 L. The maximum separation efficiency was achieved for cell No. 1 and the lowest for cell No. 2.   Key words: PolyaromaticHydrocarbons, β-naphthols, electrocoagulation, waste water treatment.