Synergy of electrochemical and ozonation processes in industrial wastewater treatment

The effectiveness of electrochemical, ozone and integrated electrochemical–ozone processes on industrial wastewater was evaluated. Electrochemical under optimal conditions of pH 7 and 40 mA cm−2 of current density reduced the chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 43% and the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) by 42%. Ozone treatment reduced both COD and BOD5 by 60%. Integration of the two processes at pH 7 and 20 mA cm−2 of current density greatly improved the reduction of COD (84%), BOD5 (79%), color (95%), turbidity (96%) and total coliforms (99%). Thus, the integrated electrochemical–ozone process noticeably improves wastewater quality. Finally, the sludge produced during integrated electrochemical–ozone process was quantified and the morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX).