Electromagnetic field-enhanced novel tubular electrocoagulation cell for effective and low-cost color removal of beet sugar industry wastewater

The treatment of real beet sugar mill effluent by a modified electrocoagulation process is proposed. An innovative design of an electromagnetic field-enhanced electrochemical cell consisting of a tubular screen roll anode and two cathodes (an inner and outer cathode) has been used. Different parameters have been investigated including current density, effluent concentration, NaCl concentration, rpm, number of screen layers per anode, and the effect of addition and direction of an electromagnetic field. The results showed that, under the optimum conditions, current density of 3.13 A/m(2), two screens per anode, NaCl concentration of 12 g/l, and rotation speed of 120 rpm, the percentage of color removal was 85.5% and the electrical energy consumption was 3.595 kWh/m(3). However, the presence of an electromagnetic field distinctly enhanced the energy consumption and the color removal percentage. Numerically, applying the magnetic field resulted in performing a color removal efficiency of 97.7% using a power consumption of 2.569 KWh/m(3) which is considered a distinct achievement in industrial wastewater treatment process. The strong enhancement in color removal using a low power consumption significantly reduced the required treatment cost; the estimated treatment cost was 0.00017 $/h.m(2). This design has proven to be a promising one for the continuous treatment of beet sugar industrial effluents and to be a competitor to the currently available techniques.