Abstract
In this study, a new hybrid bench-scale electrocoagulation-sand filtration (FECF) reactor was developed for purifying nitrate-contaminated samples. Before and after electrochemical treatment, two sand filters were included in this continuous system to facilitate the purification procedure, and the contaminated water flows horizontally through the entire system according to a specific hydraulic gradient within the reactor, resulting in water purification. Significant improvement in treatment performance was observed due to the presence of metal hydroxides in the second filter media that were not fully involved in the electrocoagulation treatment. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis was performed to detect metal hydroxide species in the sand media, and the need for filter regeneration was evaluated by monitoring changes in the system flow rate. Moreover, an evaluation of the effects of different factors including operating time, current intensity, initial pH, type of anode and cathode, initial nitrate concentration, hydraulic head level inside the reactor, number of electrodes, and NaCl electrolyte concentration on the performance of nitrate removal was conducted through the Taguchi design. Further, ANOVA analysis verified the accuracy of the predicted model, and the variables were classified based on their relative importance in the FECF process. According to the regression model, 97% of nitrates were removed with Al electrodes as anode and Fe as cathode, 70 min purification time, current intensity of 3 A, 100 mg/l initial nitrate concentration, pH 8, electrolyte concentration of 1 g/l, electrode number of 6, and 1.5 cm head level.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Amirkabir University of Technology for financial support. Moreover, the authors wish to express their gratitude to Professor Alavi Moghaddam’s research group for their respected help during this research. A special thanks to Mr. Abdollahi and Rezaeianjouybari for their valuable participation in conducting the experiments.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Y.R.F., T.E., R.M., and E.K.. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Y.R.F., and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Farshi, Y.R., Ebadi, T., Maknoon, R. et al. A novel combined system for efficient nitrate removal using a continuous flow electrocoagulation and sand filtration (FECF) reactor: Statistical analysis by Taguchi design. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 4052–4066 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31362-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31362-2