Abatement of As and hydrated silica from natural groundwater by electrocoagulation in a continuous plant having an electrolyzer and a flocculator-settler

This paper shows the elimination of arsenic (As) and hydrated silica from natural groundwater (48.63 µg L−1 arsenic, 77.5 mg L−1 hydrated silica, 0.33 mg L−1 phosphate, 5 mg L−1 sulfate, 240 mg L−1 alkalinity, 89.5 mg L−1 hardness, pH 8.44 and 450 µS cm−1 conductivity) by electrocoagulation (EC). The flow plant employed a parallel plates EC reactor in series with a flocculator-settler. Aluminum was used as the sacrificial electrode. Before the electrolysis in the flow plant, a systematic study of the aluminum dose was carried using the EC reactor adapted to a jar test. The influence of the mean linear flow velocity (1.2–4.8 cm s−1) and current density (6–9 mA cm−2) on the removal of As and hydrated silica was addressed. The residual concentration of As and hydrated silica in the flow plant was CAs = 4.2 µg L−1 and Chs = 4.5 mg L−1, respectively, at 9 mA cm−2 and 1.2 cm s−1, which agree well with that obtained in the jar test array. The residual As concentration fulfills the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation (