Electrochemical treatment using aluminum electrodes effectively removes aromatic pollutants from petroleum-contaminated water. Optimized conditions were determined using full factorial design and surface response analysis. This method successfully reduced contaminants to undetectable levels in real water samples, making it a promising solution for remediating contaminated groundwater and surface water.
Author(s): AlSalka, Yamen; Karabet, François; Hashem, Shahir
Published: 2011
Language: English
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Additional Information
Ground and surface water contamination resulting from the leakage of crude oil and refined petroleum products is a serious and growing environmental problem throughout the world. Consequently, a study of the use of electrochemical treatment in the clean-up was undertaken with the aim of reducing the water contamination by aromatic pollutants to more acceptable levels. In the experiments described, water contamination by refined petroleum products was simulated under laboratory conditions. Electrochemical treatment, using aluminium electrodes, has been optimised by full factorial design and surface response analysis in term of BTEX and PAHs removal and energy consumption. The optimal conditions of pH, current density, electrolysis time, electrolyte type, and electrolyte concentration have then been applied in the treatment of real water samples which were monitored as petroleum contaminated samples. Treatment results have shown that electrochemical methods could achieve the concentration of these pollutants to undetectable levels in particular groundwater and surface water, hence, they can be highly effective in the remediation of water contaminated by aromatic hydrocarbons, and the use of these processes is therefore recommended.