Electrocoagulation in batch mode for the removal of the chemical oxygen demand of an effluent from slaughterhouse wastewater in lima peru: Fe and al electrodes

In order to study the treatment of wastewater from a meat plant in a batch reactor, the electroco-agulation (EC) process with aluminum and iron electrodes was applied. Foams formed with iron electrodes show brown, greenish, and reddish colors, and foams formed with aluminum electrodes mainly show a whitish color. The effects of the applied voltages (6, 8, and 10 V) were analyzed over time on parameters such as current density (A/m²), pH, temperature, removal percentage of ionic conductivity (µS/cm), turbidity (nephelometric turbidity units), chemical oxygen demand (COD), thermotolerant coliforms, and oil–grease. The removal efficiencies for turbidity and COD in meat industry wastewater-slaughterhouse wastewater that were obtained were 99%, and 53%–59%, for aluminum, and 81.5%–88.5%, and 59%–60% for iron electrodes and 25 min EC time respectively. At 6 V the energy consumption per unit volume of treated effluent (kg/m³) and per kg COD removed (kwh/kg COD) with Al and Fe electrodes were (3.07 and 0.84) and (2.99 and 0.90), respectively. The EC process with Al and Fe electrodes proved to be a technique that removes contaminants from slaughterhouse wastewater with good yields.