Arsenic Removal by Electrocoagulation

Because of the toxic impacts on human health, the arsenic (As) limit value in drinking water was decreased from 50 to 10 μg l −1 by the relevant authorities (WHO 1993; US EPA 2001). In this case, the problem of As pollution in natural water resources used for drinking water has grown even more and turned into a global crisis. According to reports in many parts of the world, over about 230 million people appear to be affected by high arsenic concentrations in groundwater. In this case, it turned out that there was a great need for cost-effective and environmentally friendly technologies from drinking water sources. One of the emerging water treatment technologies in recent years is electrocoagulation (EC) and it has been seen that it is effective in treating As (>99%) from water and eliminates some of the disadvantages of other conventional treatment processes. EC method includes electro-oxidation of anode electrode materials (iron and aluminum) and in situ production of coagulant agents. From groundwater resources with As content of 5–1000 μg l −1 , As removal efficiencies and operating costs (OCS) of EC technology using iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) anodes were 85.0–99.9% and 0.0020–1.04 US$ m −3 , respectively. Different types (plate, scrap, rod, and ball) of electrodes were used for As removal with the EC process, and it was observed that Fe electrodes or FeAl hybrid electrodes performed better in As removal. In addition, it has been determined that arsenate (As(V)) removal is more effective than arsenite (As(III)). A significant quantity of As(III) is oxidized in the EC process, resulting in precipitation, adsorption, and metal-oxy hydroxylic complex reactions. EC process has a lower OC to achieve As removal below the permissible WHO value compared to conventional treatment processes, accomplishing it as a further applicable option for As removal.