A combined electrocoagulation-electrooxidation treatment for industrial wastewater.

This study addresses the elimination of persistent organic compounds in industrial wastewater using a synergistic combination of electrocoagulation and electrooxidation. Electrocoagulation is a relatively quick process (30 min), which is very effective in removing colloidal and suspended particles, as seen in changes in coliforms, turbidity, and color and in the general absorbance by UV-vis spectroscopy. However, it is relatively ineffective in eliminating stable persistent organic compounds--in this work, only half of the COD was eliminated from wastewater and an oxidation peak in the cyclic voltammetry scan remained.