Indigenous bio-coagulant assisted electrocoagulation process for the removal of pollutants from brewery wastewater : optimization by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Abstract Industrial wastewaters present a challenge with conventional treatments because of their low biodegradability and high levels of organic matter. Wastewater from human activities, particularly from brewery industries, is a significant source of pollution. A substantial amount of effluent is used during the brewing process and discharged into the environment. Large volumes of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances found in brewery effluent make them suitable for the natural coagulant-assisted electrocoagulation process. The treatment options available today are highly harmful and not economical. To solve this problem and provide a simple method of treating brewery wastewater, the Bio coagulant assisted electrocoagulation process was created. The performance of bio-coagulant-assisted electrocoagulation was studied, considering parameters such as pH, time, current, and bio-coagulant dosage. The bio-coagulant-assisted electrocoagulation process removed COD (99.01%), BOD (99.09%), TDS (99.02%), and) at an ideal pH of 7, a current of 0.5 Ampere, a time of 40 minutes, and power consumed (0.54kwh/m3 with a constant dose of 0.75 g/l Nacl as electrolytes. The results also showed that indigenous bio-coagulant-assisted electrocoagulation processes was effective and uses less power in removing pollutants from brewery wastewater. Furthermore, the bio-coagulant-assisted electrocoagulation parameters employed by the study were statistically customized by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The value of a dependent variable is identified by regression analysis with a design expert (RSM) using the specified values of the independent variables.