Removal of pollutants with determination of power consumption from landfill leachate wastewater using an electrocoagulation process: optimization using response surface methodology (RSM)

Treatment of landfill leachate wastewater by electrocoagulation process using an aluminium electrode was investigated in a batch electrochemical cell reactor. Response surface methodology based on central composite design was used to optimize the operating parameters for the removal of % color and % total organic carbon (TOC) together with power consumption from landfill leachate. Effects of three important independent parameters such as current density ( X 1 ), inter-electrode distance ( X 2 ) and solution pH ( X 3 ) of the landfill leachate sample on the % color and % TOC removal with power consumption were investigated. A quadratic model was used to predict the % color and % TOC removal with power consumption in different experimental conditions. The significance of each independent variable was calculated by analysis of variance. In order to achieve the maximum % color and % TOC removal with minimum of power consumption, the optimum conditions were about current density ( X 1 )—5.25 A/dm 2 , inter-electrode distance ( X 2 )—1 cm and initial solution of effluent pH ( X 3 )—7.83, with the yield of color removal of 74.57%, and TOC removal of 51.75% with the power consumption of 14.80 kWh/m 3 . Electrocoagulation process could be applied to remove pollutants from industrial effluents and wastewater.