Treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate of textile industry wastewater using combined electrochemical processes with bipolar electrodes
Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification, vol.229, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 229
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1016/j.cep.2026.111045
- Journal Name: Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Keywords: Bipolar electrode, Box-Behnken design, Electrocoagulation, Electrooxidation, Textile industry wastewater
- Yıldız Technical University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This study focused on the use of combined electrochemical processes to treat reverse osmosis concentrates from a textile industry wastewater treatment plant. Electrocoagulation (EC) and electrooxidation (EO) were applied simultaneously within two combined processes, in which Al and Fe electrodes were independently used in the EC stage. The operational parameters of the EC/EO/Al and EC/EO/Fe processes were optimized based on the Box-Behnken Design. The optimum operating values obtained from numerical modeling were: pH 5.77, current density of 8.47 mA/cm2, and reaction time of 93.9 min for the EC/EO/Al process; and pH 6.85, current density of 8.50 mA/cm2, and 94.7 min for the EC/EO/Fe process. In the validation studies, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was 89.5% for EC/EO/Al and 82.5% for EC/EO/Fe. The specific energy consumption (SEC) for the EC/EO/Al and EC/EO/Fe processes was 5.6 kWh/kg COD and 10.8 kWh/kg COD, respectively. The treated textile industry reverse osmosis concentrate meets the discharge limits specified in the Water Pollution Control Regulation of Türkiye. Based on the results of this study, the two combined electrochemical processes can be considered effective alternative methods for the management of reverse osmosis concentrate generated in the textile industry.