review · Separations
Water pollution from organic matter poses severe public health risks and degrades water quality globally. Electrocoagulation is emerging as an effective approach for wastewater purification, characterised by a compact equipment footprint, straightforward operational procedures, and low material costs relative to conventional methods. The technology works by neutralising the electrical charges of organic impurities to destabilise them, allowing the particles to aggregate and form flocs that can be separated. The method demonstrates strong performance in eliminating a wide range of organic pollutants as well as persistent modern contaminants, including microplastics. Furthermore, the expanding integration of renewable electricity systems complements electrocoagulation, supporting broader decarbonisation objectives. A comprehensive synthesis of these operating mechanisms and contaminant removal capabilities offers valuable technical insights for environmental engineers and chemical researchers focused on modern water purification solutions.
Organic pollution in water supplies leads to severe health complications and fatalities. Electrocoagulation presents an accessible, compact, and cost-effective method to clean contaminated water. Its compatibility with renewable power sources also supports wider efforts to lower carbon emissions while tackling difficult pollutants such as microplastics, making it a critical focus for engineers seeking sustainable, cleaner water infrastructure.
Electrocoagulation technology is applicable to municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, targeting engineers and plant operators seeking compact systems with low material costs. Its demonstrated effectiveness against organic impurities and microplastics makes it attractive for advanced purification setups. However, as this work is a review of operational modalities and mechanisms, it represents an overview of the technological landscape rather than a specific commercial product ready for deployment.
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Water organic pollution has become a major issue. A large number of people suffer from the decline in water quality. In addition, polluted water can lead to health problems or excessive deaths. In this regard, an increasingly important method for efficient water treatment is electrocoagulation (EC), the technology that encompasses a small equipment size combined with a simple operation compared to other water treatment methods. The importance of EC is especially accentuated by the recent decarbonization efforts due to the increasing availability of renewable electricity systems. This review provides an overview of the most recent developments in EC technology as it pertains to wastewater treatment. The EC is preferred for organic wastewater treatment over other traditional treatment methods due to its easy setup and low material costs. Moreover, the EC is very powerful in destabilizing organic impurities by charge neutralization and then coagulating to form flocs. In addition, EC has shown high efficiency not only in removing various organic pollutants but also in emerging persistent contaminants, such as microplastics. For these reasons, the EC mechanisms and related functional modalities are reviewed, as well as extensive details are provided on the diversity of the removed contaminants. Overall, this review provides significant new knowledge of interest for environmental chemical researchers in particular and engineers in general on the details of the EC technology for wastewater treatment and water purification.
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DOI: 10.3390/separations10060337
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