Performance evaluation and operation cost analysis of electrolytes application in electrocoagulation process applied to peat wastewater treatment.

In order to investigate the performance and cost analysis of electrocoagulation process, various electrolytes are picked out to remove Fe, color, and turbidity in peat water through batch and continuous reactors. Peat water has brownish red color, acidity, high turbidity, and a large concentration of Fe which exceed the water standard quality. Electrocoagulation is an electrochemical method for water treatment that along the anode where active coagulant as aluminum ions is released into the solution. Several kinds of electrolytes are applied, such as 0.01M NaCl p.a., 0.01M NaCl technical grade, 0.01M NH4Cl p.a., and 0.01M K2SO4 p.a. with process time up to 120 minutes. The results show that the electrocoagulation in a batch process using NH4Cl for 120 minutes obtains the highest of removal percentage of Fe, color, and turbidity, which are 90.92%, 84.93%, and 99.94%, respectively. However, according to scoring evaluation, commercial NaCl using through continuous reactor generates the outputs have fulfilled the water standard quality as well as batch condition with low-cost production about Rp 23.21/Liter, about 64.18% cheaper than without electrolytes addition, and 82.93% more inexpensive than generally chemical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]