Treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater using electrocoagulation: a review

Poultry slaughterhouses are generally large consumers of fresh water, which is exhausted as wastewater characterized by a high concentration of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand COD, and fats, oil, and grease (FOG). Cost-effective methods are required for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater, with the aim of attaining a high quality effluent that can be reused in industrial processes to promote sustainability. As compared to conventional treatment methods, electrocoagulation is an efficient and low-cost system. Electrocoagulation is environmentally friendly, treating wastewater without the need of chemicals, thus limiting secondary pollution. The metal anodes initiate electrochemical reactions for coagulation and flocculation. Its distinct advantages include compact installation and simple operation. This paper offers a comprehensive review of recent literature that has been dedicated to utilizing electrocoagulation for poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment. This paper also examines aspects such as theory, potential applications, current applications, as well as economical assessment of the technique.