International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—In this study, removal of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) from a simulated wastewater by electrocoagulation (EC) method using batch cylindrical iron reactor was investigated. The influences of various operational parameters such as initial pH (3, 5, 7), current density (30, 40, 50 mA/cm²) and initial heavy metal concentration (10, 20, 30 ppm) on removal efficiency were investigated. It was seen from the results that removal efficiencies were significantly affected by the applied current density and pH. The experimental results indicated that after90 minutes electrocoagulation the highest Cd, Ni, Cu removal of 99.78%, 99.98%, 98.90% were achieved at the current density of 30 mA/cm² and pH of 7 using supporting electrolyte (0,05 M Na₂SO₄) respectively. The experimental results revealed that the removal of heavy metal ions by our design electrochemical cell can be successfully achieved.

Index Terms—Heavy metal removal, electrocoagulation, treatment.

Umran Tezcan Un is with Anadolu University, Turkey (e-mail: utezcan@anadolu.edu.tr).

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Cite:Umran Tezcan Un and Sadettin Eren Ocal, "Removal of Heavy Metals (Cd, Cu, Ni) by Electrocoagulation," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 425-429, 2015.