Akbay et al.

, International Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal 02(01): 053-057, 2018

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INTERNATIONAL ADVANCED RESEARCHES
and Volume 02
ENGINEERING JOURNAL Issue 01

e-ISSN: 2618-575X April, 2018

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Research Article

Treatment of fruit juice concentrate wastewater by electrocoagulation:

Optimization of COD removal
Habibe Elif Gulsen Akbay a*, Ceyhun Akarsu a, Halil Kumbur a
a
Mersin University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 33343, Mersin, Turkey

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: Depending on the growing population and the developing industry, wastewater is encountered
Received 03 February 2018 with different characteristics and higher temperatures each passing day. For this reason, researches
Received 09 April 2018 are under way for new treatment methods that will respond to needs in terms of cost and
Accepted 10 April 2018 remediation. In this study, treatment of fruit juice concentrate wastewater has been examined by
Keywords: electrocoagulation (EC). For this purpose, the optimum conditions for the best COD removal were
COD removal investigated. In the EC process, different electrodes (aluminum, iron and steel), pH (5.5,7, 8 and
Electrocoagulation 9) and current (0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 A) were studied, respectively. The results showed that the optimum
Fruit juice COD and color removal were obtained as 66%, 98% respectively when the applied electrode pair
Operating cost were Al(+)/Fe(-), cell current was 0,8A and wastewater pH was 5.5 in 10 min. Also, the operating
Optimization cost was calculated for the optimized treatment conditions of 1 m3 fruit juice wastewater as 2.69
Wastewater treatment US$.

© 2018, Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal (IAREJ) and the Author(s).

1. Introduction Recent studies have shown that electrochemical

techniques can provide a good opportunity to prevent and
High amount of water is used in the juice industry thus
remedy pollution problems due to strict environmental
it produces a high amount of wastewater [1]. These
regulations. The use of electrochemical technologies for
wastewater contain high concentrations of organics due to
the treatment of organic pollutants contained in industrial
usage of fruits or sugar [2]. The typical juice industry
wastewaters has received a great deal of attention in recent
produces 10 L wastewater per litter of juice. A wide range
years [10]. Electrocoagulation (EC) is an emerging
of fruits are used to manufacture juice. These include
technology that combines the functions and advantages of
apple, apricot, rosehip, peach, cherry, oranges. So far,
conventional coagulation, flotation, and adsorption in
conventional treatment methods such as aerobic and
wastewater treatment [11]. Studies show successful results
anaerobic [3-5], combination of biological and chemical
in treatment of textile wastewater [12-14], food and
processes [6], membrane filtration [7], proton exchange
protein wastewater [15], landfill leachate wastewater [16],
membrane fuel cell [8], membrane bioreactor [9] have
pulp and paper mill wastewater [17,18], arsenic in
been applied for fruit juice wastewater.
wastewater [19], pesticides in wastewater [20], tannery
If it is considered that so many different fruits and more
wastewater [21], oil refinery wastewater [22] by
than one species of each fruit participate in production; it
electrocoagulation process. According to literature, the EC
can be said that the wastewater contains chemicals in a
process can be put forward as an advanced treatment
very wide range of different structures. Also, it contains a
method because of its efficiency, low energy requirement,
lot of organic acids which were added as preservatives and
and lower and more stable sludge production compared
additives during fruit juice production. Therefore, there is
with conventional treatment methods [23].
a need for alternative treatment methods that can treat
The objective of this research was treatment of an actual
different characteristic wastewaters.
industrial wastewater by electrocoagulation and determine

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 (324) 361 0001-17100; Fax: +90 (324) 361 0032.
E-mail address: [email protected]
Note: This study was presented at International Advanced Researches and Engineering Congress 2017 (IAREC’17)
 054 Akbay et al., International Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal 02(01): 053-057, 2018

optimum operating conditions. Also, cost efficiency was time intervals (10-20-30-40-50-60 min). Each experiment
calculated based on parameters such as electrode mass was carried out in a 1000 mL glass reactor and 800 mL of
loss, voltage, current etc. and obtained results were wastewater was used for the experiments. The reactor
compared with the conventional treatment methods in the contains two electrodes of the same dimensions of
literature. 60 mm x 90 mm; one anode and one cathode electrode. The
total effective anode electrode area was 54 cm2, and the
2. Materials and methods distance between electrodes was 2 cm for the each EC reactor.
All the experiments were repeated twice and the average
2.1 Wastewater characteristics
values have been reported. The experimental setup is shown
The studies were carried out on the treatment of fruit-juice in Figure 1.
concentrate production wastewater with a low (1920 mg/L)
COD content for this kind of industries. The wastewater used
in this study was collected from a fruit juice factory which
located in Mersin, Turkey. The wastewater characteristics
are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Wastewater characteristics

Parameter Unit Value

pH - 5.53
Alkalinity mg CaCO3/L 46
Color Pt-Co 290
Conductivity µS/cm 817
TN mg/L 10.06
COD mg/L 1920
TS mg/L 2976
VS mg/L 1666.60
Figure 1. The experimental setup
TSS mg/L 1334.10
VSS mg/L 452.0 3. Results and discussion

2.2. Chemicals and analytical method 3.1 Optimum electrode determination

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH; 98%) and sulphuric acid In the first stage of the EC process, the electrode pair that
(H2SO4; 98%) used in the experiments were obtained from provides the best COD removal was determined. For this
Merck. In addition, NaCl was used to adjust the conductivity purpose, different electrode combinations such as
value in the EC experiments. The pH value of the samples Fe(+)/Al(-), Fe(+)/St(-), Al(+)/Al(-), Al(+)/St(-),
was adjusted with the WTW Multi 340i portable Fe(+)/Fe(-), Al(+)/Fe(-) were investigated by keeping pH
multiparameter meter. Velpa Multi Position magnetic stirrer (5.5), conductivity (2000µS/cm) and current (0.8 A) constant.
was used for the EC experiments. AA Tech ADC 3303D The best COD removal was achieved with a pair of
power supply was used as the current and voltage regulating Al(+)/Fe(-) electrodes at a rate of 66% in 10 min. Therefore,
source and iron, aluminium, steel electrodes were used to the next experimental step was continued with this electrode
perform the electrocoagulation experiments. A Hettich EBA pair. The effect of electrode pairs on COD removal is
20 centrifuge (6000 rpm, 5 min) was used to separate the presented in Figure 2.
sludge from the samples at the end of the EC experiments.
The Hach Lange DR 3900 VIS spectrophotometer was used
for the colour removal analysis of the EC experiments. All
the chemical analyses were carried out in accordance with
the Standard Methods for Examination of Water and
Wastewater [24].
2.3. Electrocoagulation (EC) experiments
In order to determine the maximum removal efficiency
of COD in EC process, various parameters such as pH (5.5,
7-8-9), current (0.6-0.8-1.0 A) and electrode combinations
(aluminium, iron and steel) were investigated in different Figure 2. The effect of electrode pairs on COD removal
 Akbay et al., International Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal 02(01): 053-057, 2018 055

3.2 Effect of pH
pH is an important operating factor affecting the
performance of the EC process also the pH of the medium is
constantly changing during the wastewater treatment. In
some studies, the desired yield is obtained at a wide pH range
and no initial pH regulation is needed in the system [25]. In
this study, neutral and basic pH values such as 7, 8 and 9
have also been examined for the reason that the present
wastewater sample is already at acidic pH (5.5). Initial pH
values were adjusted with 0.1 M H2SO4 and 0.1 M NaOH
solutions. Conductivity was set to 2000 μS/cm and the power
supply is operated at 0.8A. It has been determined that the
best COD removal (66%) occurs at the original pH of the Figure 4. The effect of current on COD removal
wastewater in acidic conditions in 10 min. Can (2014) also
3.4. Operating cost
found a similar result for this kind of wastewater. The
researcher reported that removal efficiency reached the The operating cost includes electrode cost, electrical
highest value (52%) at pH 6 in 60 min[26]. The effect of energy cost, labor, maintenance and etc. In this study, energy
initial pH value on COD removal is given in Figure 3. and electrode material costs are taken into account as major
cost items, in the calculation of the operating cost as kWh per
m3 wastewater of COD removed. The calculations were
made by using Equation (1);
Operating cost = a* Cencrgy + b*Celectrode (1)
Where Cenergy and Celectrode, are consumption quantities per kg
of COD removed, which are obtained experimentally. Unit
prices, a and b, given for Turkey Market, September 2017,
are as follows:
(a) electrical energy price 0.06 US$/kWh.
(b) electrode material price 4.57 US$/kg for aluminium
(anode)
Cost calculations showed that, in the case of aluminium
Figure 3. The effect of initial pH value on COD removal
electrode, operating cost is approximately 2.69 US$ per kg
COD removed.
3.3. Effect of current on electrocoagulation 4. Conclusion
The amount of current density affects the production rate In this study, it has been tried to treat fruit juice wastewater
of metal ions dissolving in the anode, the bubble velocity and by advanced treatment methods. Experiments were carried
the size of the cathode. Accordingly, the quantity, structure out using electrocoagulation process as the advanced
and formation of the flocks are also affected. Also, the treatment method. Chemical oxygen demand and colour
current density should be checked to avoid excessive oxygen were used as optimization parameters. Various operating
and possible temperature increase [27]. Because of the parameters, such as current density, initial pH, and electrode
formation of small bubbles at low current densities, type were evaluated to define optimum conditions.
sedimentation is more dominant than flocculation in the According to the obtained results; the most efficient
removal of contaminants [28]. combination was found as Al/Fe electrodes for removing
Experiments were carried out at 0.6 A, 0.8 A and 1.0 A in COD and colour. The Optimum COD and colour removal
the study. Conductivity was set to 2000 μS/cm and the pH were obtained as 66%, 98% respectively when reaction time
was 5.5. It has been determined that the best COD removal was 10 minutes, cell current was 0.8 A and wastewater pH
(66%) occurs at the 0.8 A in 10 min. The effect of current on was 5.5. In experiments performed for electrode
COD removal is given in Figure 4. optimization, the increase in the time seemed to have no
effect on removal efficiency. When we compared the results
of 10th and 60th minutes, removal efficiencies were either
stable or decreased. Meanwhile in the pH optimization
studies, it has been determined that the best recovery
 056 Akbay et al., International Advanced Researches and Engineering Journal 02(01): 053-057, 2018

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