Treatment of Landfill Leachate via Electrocoagulation and Electro-Fenton Processes: A Comparative Study
Abstract
This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Electrocoagulation (EC) and electro
Fenton (EF) processes in the treatment of high-strength storage leachate. The effect of operating
parameters, including initial pH, contact time, and mass ratio of COD: H2O2, on Chemical Oxygen
Demand (COD) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies of leachate was investigated.
For this purpose, a jacketed reactor in which the electrochemical process is performed using
monopolar-bonded iron electrodes is designed. As a result of the experimental studies, the optimum
operating parameters of the EC process were determined as follows: pH 7, current density 150A/m2,
and reaction time 30 minutes. Under these conditions, 37.87% COD and 47.36% TOC were removed
respectively. Due to the lack of expected results in the treatment of this wastewater in the EC process,
treatability studies were carried out with the EF process. As a result of the study, optimum conditions
were found to be pH 3, current density 150 A/m2, H2O2= 500 mg/L (KOI: H2O21), and working time
10 min. A higher COD (71.7%) and TOC removal (90.87%) have been obtained with the EF process
under optimum conditions. The operating costs of electrocoagulation and electro-Fenton processes
under optimum conditions were calculated as 2.26 and 1.78 €/m3, respectively. Experimental findings
revealed that, unlike the EC process, the EF process can be a good option for landfill leachate
treatment in terms of providing less treatment time, less sludge, more cost-effectiveness, and necessary
discharge limits.