Punched zinc-aluminium electrodes for efficient treatment of soap wastewater
Original scientific paper
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5599/jese.3607Keywords:
Pollutant removal, electrocoagulation, response surface methodology, Box-Behnken design, chemical oxygen demand, turbidityAbstract
This study investigates the efficiency of the electrocoagulation process using punched zinc and aluminium electrodes for the treatment of soap and detergent wastewater. Although the industry generates relatively small volumes of effluent during production, significant environmental concerns arise from its widespread domestic and industrial discharge. The objective was to optimize key operational parameters for maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity removal. Experimental design was carried out using response surface methodology with a Box-Behnken design to evaluate the effects of voltage, electrolysis time, and electrode distance. Optimal conditions were identified at 30 V, 60 min electrolysis time, and 2 cm electrode spacing, achieving removal efficiencies of 87.22 % for COD and 85.7 % for turbidity. Statistical analysis using ANOVA confirmed the reliability of the quadratic model, showing strong agreement between predicted and experimental results. The findings demonstrate that punched electrodes significantly enhance EC performance, and further development of advanced electrode materials could improve treatment efficiency.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Vijayakumar Hanumantha Naik, Mahesh Kumar Chitrahalli Lingaraju, Ravindranath Chandrasekhar, Praveen Naik
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