화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol.163, No.2-3, 1282-1288, 2009
On the crucial influence of some supporting electrolytes during electrocoagulation in the presence of aluminum electrodes
The influence of some supporting electrolytes on aluminum electrode oxidation and pH variation during electrocoagulation of an unskimmed milk sample and a cutting oil emulsion has been investigated. Among the electrolytes studied, sulfate anions were found to be quite harmful both for electrical consumption and electrocoagulation efficiency. At the opposite, chloride and ammonium ions were particularly benefic respectively for aluminum corrosion and pH regulation, whereas sodium cations were observed to have a neutral role. The results indicate that electrocoagulation can be realized at low anodic potential even in the presence of sulfate ions when the [Cl-]/[SO42-] ratio is around or greater than 1/10. The detrimental effect of sulfates on electrocoagulation efficiency can be thwarted by the use of the ammonium salt thanks to its related buffer effect. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved