Abstract

As well known, eutrophication is one of the main problems encountered in surface water. This phenomenon is caused by the excess phosphate level in the effluent of wastewater treatment plant. Thus, to control of eutrophication, removal of phosphorus is required. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency of electrocoagulation (EC) process to phosphorus removal from the synthetic wastewater. This study was an experimental work which has been carried out by steel electrodes at constant current density of 1.15 mA/cm²on synthetic wastewater. The effect of reaction time and initial phosphate concentration is also studied. The results showed that the maximum removal efficiency of 98.72 and 100% was achieved for adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP) and sodium hexamethaphosphate (SHMP), respectively. In conclusion, electrochemical process is very efficient for removal of phosphate from the synthetic wastewater.

Key words: Electrocoagulation process, phosphorus removal, nutrient removal.