THE OPERATING COST OF ELECTROCOAGULATION

The electrocoagulation of kaolinite and bentonite suspensions was studied in a pilot electrocoagulation system at the Western Research Center of CANMET to assess the operating cost and efficiency of the process. Factors affecting the operating cost such as, the formation of passivation layers on electrode plates, flow velocity and concentration of sodium chloride in the suspension were examined. The operating costs investigated in this paper were the power cost of the electrocoagulation cell and the material cost due to the consumption of the aluminum electrode. Comparison was based on the settling properties of the treated product: turbidity, settling rate, and cake height. Higher concentration of sodium chloride resulted in greater amount of aluminum dissolved chemically and electrochemically into the suspension and thus a better clarity of the supernatant of the treated product. Increased flow velocity could reduce significantly the operating cost while improving both clarity of the supernatant and the compactness of the sludge volume. The passivation layers developed quickly with time during the electrocoagulation process and mon energy became wasted on the layers.