Removal of chromium VI from wastewater by combined electrocoagulation sorption processes

Yasmine Ait Ouaissa (1, 2) , Malika Chabani (2) , Abdeltif Amrane (3) , Aicha Bensmaili (2)

1 CRAPC - Centre de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Analyses Physico-Chimiques
2 U.S.T.H.B - Laboratoire de Génie de la Réaction
3 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes

The elimination of hexavalent chromium from synthetic effluents in a batch stirred electrocoagulation cell with aluminum electrodes coupled with a sorption process using red onion skin adsorbent is addressed. The effect of process variables such as medium pH and adsorbent concentration was investigated in an attempt to optimize the removal capacity. Adsorption and electrocoagulation were first considered separately, with maximum Cr(VI) removal yields of 47 % and 78 %, respectively, at pH 2. When combining the two processes, a removal of 97 % of the total Cr(VI) in a pH range of 3-6 was achieved. The almost total elimination observed for the considered pollutant demonstrated the feasibility and the synergistic effect of the coupled process.

Mots clés: Adsorption; Cr(VI); Electrocoagulation

Domaines: Génie des procédés; Génie chimique; Chimie analytique; Ingénierie de l'environnement

Yasmine Ait Ouaissa, Malika Chabani, Abdeltif Amrane, Aicha Bensmaili. Removal of chromium VI from wastewater by combined electrocoagulation sorption processes. Chemical Engineering and Technology, 2012, 36 (1), pp.147-155. ⟨10.1002/ceat.201200375⟩. ⟨hal-00910975⟩