Separation of pollutants from restaurant wastewater by electrocoagulation

The characteristics of restaurant wastewater were investigated. High oil an d grease contents were detected. Electrocoagulation was used to treat this type of wastewater. Different electrode materials and operational condition s were examined. Aluminum was preferred to iron. Charge loading was found t o be the only variable that affected the treatment efficiency significantly . The optimum charge loading and current density were 1.67-9.95 F/m(3) wast ewater and 30-80 A/m(2) depending on the wastewater tested. The removal eff iciency of oil and grease exceeded 94% for all wastewaters tested. The expe rimental results also show that the electrocoagulation can neutralize waste water pH. Several mechanisms associated with pH variation are proposed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.