ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Performance Assessment of Wastewater Treatment
Plants (WWTPs ) and Application
of Electrocoagulation Process to Improve
Their Operation
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1
Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Physicochemistry for Environment and Health.
Djillali Liabes University of Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria
2
PEIE Research Chair for the Development of Industrial Estates and Free Zones, Center for Environmental
Studies and Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Oman
Submission date: 2020-12-25
Final revision date: 2021-02-25
Acceptance date: 2021-03-08
Online publication date: 2021-09-01
Publication date: 2021-10-01
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(6):5273-5284
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to assess the efficiency of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)
operating with different biological processes and to investigate the electrocoagulation process as
alternative to improve their operation.
Results revealed the consistent efficiency of urban WWTP that uses activated sludge process,
the station operated with removal efficiencies higher than 91% for biological oxygen demand (BOD),
chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) and produced high quality
effluent whereas the efficiency of WWTP of an industrial complex using trickling filter process was
in the monitored period very small and did not meet the minimum acceptable treatment efficiency
of discharged wastewater. The treatment assays with electrocoagulation process using aluminium
electrodes exhibited high COD removal particularly for plant of industrial site, the optimal operating
conditions for the maximum COD removal are found to be the initial pH of 3, current density of
29.79 mA/cm2 , electrolysis time of 5 min and charge loading of 26.11 F/m3. Under these conditions,
the removal efficiency of COD is found to be 79% . Consequently, electrocoagulation process can be
recommended to improve the performance of WWTPs. Nonetheless, the implementation of EC into
industrial or municipal systems should be investigated more.