Electrocoagulation
Wastewater Treatment Technologies, and More.
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Basics of Electrocoagulation - ECThe science of electro-chemistry is well known. Applying it in a useful, reliable industrial-quality technology is what KASELCO has dedicated a great deal of effort on. We have used our own plating plant as a research environment and have employed the scientific support of Lamar University and others, to develop practical, useful technology.
WHAT IS ELECTROCOAGULATION?
- Electrocoagulation is an electro-chemical process that
simultaneously removes heavy metals, suspended solids, emulsified organics
and many other contaminants from water using electricity instead of
expensive chemical reagents. The process
uses electricity and sacrificial plates to combine with contaminants in a
waste stream, producing insoluble oxides and hydroxides - floc - that are
easily separated from the clear water.
HISTORY -
The principle of electrocoagulation was first patented in 1906 by A. E.
Dietrich and was used to treat bilge water from ships. Why the process fell
into disuse is not known, but the lack of environmental regulation was
probably a contributing cause. Over time, a number of attempts were made to
commercialize the technology with varying degrees of success. With the
relatively recent concerns about pollution, industries came under great
pressure to find innovative ways to comply with environmental regulations.
Electrocoagulation has re-emerged as a viable technology.
Kaspar Electroplating
Corporation bought a 100-gpm system from EC Systems in 1995. The system
was to treat the wastewater from the plant’s nickel, chromium and zinc
plating lines. Unfortunately the system never performed as promised. Kaspar
engineers were convinced that the science was sound and that the problems
were in the electrolytic cell or reactor. The Kaspar engineers designed and
tested a series of reactors to determine optimum flow and plate
characteristics, resulting in U.S. Patent No. 5,928,493, granted in February
of 1999. Continued R&D has resulted in the granting of additional patents.
The KASELCO Reactors
are unique in its design and employment. Typical reactor problems of leaking,
burned contacts, and fouling are successfully addressed in the designs. The
periodic "acid wash" that plagues designs by other companies has been
eliminated.
WHAT DOES IT DO? -
The KASELCO process passes contaminated water in a layer between metal
plates charged with a direct electrical current. The plate material is
discharged, as molecules, into the stream where ionic and non-ionic
contaminants are subjected to the electrical charge, electrolysis products,
and the plate elements. The process produces a number of effects depending
on the species present, but generally contaminants are reacted to their most
stable state and then are removed from the wastewater by physical means -
typical solids separation methods like clarification or dissolved air
flotation may be employed. The solids (sludge and filter cake)
produced by KASELCO EC treatment of heavy metal passes USEPA TCLP (Toxic
Characteristic Leachate Procedure), demonstrating just how stable the
produced solid is.
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