Performance of Electrocoagulation Processes for the Removal of COD and Ammonia from High Salinity Landfill-leachate using Iron or Aluminum Electrodes

Landfill leachate is characterized by a large fraction of low biodegradability organics. The present work aimed to evaluate and optimize the electrocoagulation (EC) process to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4-N from high-salinity landfill leachate. The study was conducted using iron or aluminum electrodes while different parameters such as reaction time, current density, and pH were evaluated on the process's efficiency. The experimental results showed that by applying a current density of 12 mAcm-2, the COD removal after 240 minute electro-processing time was 78.5 % and 72.5% for iron and aluminum electrodes respectively. Also, the removal of NH4-N after 240 minutes at a current density of 12 mA cm2 was 62 % and 54% for iron and aluminum electrodes respectively. This study demonstrates the feasibility of electrocoagulation to treat high-salinity landfill leachate without the need for a supporting electrolyte. © 2021 School of Science, IHU. All Rights Reserved.