|
Abstract
|
In recent years, concerns about the scarcity of water resources and environmental issues, have been caused to development of methodologies and instrumental for treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater could be present in our life cycle [1, 2]. This process can be done with considering of active pharmaceutical ingredients, solvents, intermediates and raw materials [3]. Electrocoagulation (EC) as an electrochemical method has developed to overcome the drawbacks of conventional pharmaceutical industry wastewater treatment technologies. Electrocoagulation-Flotation (ECF) processes are simple, time and energy economic in water and wastewater treatment [4]. This work study the use of ECF for treatment of wastewater obtained from a pharmaceutical industry. The wastewater primarily contained Opium alkaloid, Codeine, Methadone, Morphine, Oxycodone and Buprenorphine. The ECF reactor in a pilot scale with an approximate volume of 200 liters which is equipped with Al and Fe electrodes (400*250*2 mm) was used for pharmaceutical industry wastewater treatment. The effects of operating parameters such as current density (2-20 mA/cm2), initial pollutant concentration (initial COD between 10000 and 70000 mg/L), type of electrode material, reaction times (5 to 60 min) and initial pH of the solution (4 to 12) have evaluated. In addition, efficiency of COD and TOC reduction, electrical energy consumption and current efficiency were also studied for treating the above-mentioned wastewater treatment. The results described that the maximum reduction of COD and TOC was about 94% and 82% at optimum current density of 10-15 mA/cm2 and electrocoagulation time of 30 min for 150 L in a pilot scale of the wastewater, respectively. Also, in the above mentioned conditions, the electrical energy consumption and current efficiency were at about 3.5 KWh/Kg COD and 96%, respectively. The best our knowledge, this achievement can be an optimized and high progress rout for the wastewater treatment of pharma
|