The key difference between electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation is that electrocoagulation uses an electrical charge in order to coagulate substances, whereas chemical coagulation uses a coagulant to coagulate substances.
Electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation are two types of coagulation techniques. Electrocoagulation is an advanced technique compared to chemical coagulation technique. Both of these techniques are important in wastewater treatment.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Electrocoagulation
3. What is Chemical Coagulation
4. Side by Side Comparison – Electrocoagulation vs Chemical Coagulation in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Electrocoagulation?
Electrocoagulation is an analytical technique in which coagulation is achieved using an electrical charge. We can denote electrocoagulation by “EC”. It is a very important process in wastewater treatment, wash water treatment, industrial processed water production, and medical treatments. This technique has become a rapidly grown area in wastewater treatment due to its ability to remove contaminants from a sample, which is generally difficult to be removed via filtration or chemical treatment methods. There are different electrocoagulation devices we can buy, ranging from simple systems to very complicated ones. For example, a simple electrocoagulation device may contain a simple anode and a cathode.
In the field of medical treatment, a fine wire probe or some other delivery mechanism can be used to transmit radio waves to tissues near the probe. Thereafter, the molecules within that tissue tend to vibrate, leading to a rapid increment of the temperature, which can cause coagulation of the proteins within the tissue. This can effectively kill the tissue.
There are some benefits of using electrocoagulation over other coagulation techniques. For example, mechanical filtration in medical analysis processes can only filter off suspended solids that are larger than 30 micrometres and free oil with grease. Here, using electrocoagulation can remove any size of suspended solids, including particles smaller than 30 micrometres.
What is Chemical Coagulation?
Chemical coagulation is an analytical technique in which coagulation is achieved with the use of a coagulant. This technique involves the addition of compounds that can promote the clumping of fines into larger floc so that they can be more easily separated from the water. This is a chemical process that involves the neutralization of charge, whereas flocculation is a physical process and does not involve neutralization of charges. Therefore, coagulation and flocculation are used together during wastewater treatments.
Figure 01: A Wastewater Treatment Plant
Generally, the most common coagulants used in chemical coagulation are irons and aluminium salts. However, salts of other metals such as titanium and zirconium are also considered as highly effective compounds.
When considering the factors affecting chemical coagulation, it is mainly affected by the coagulant used in this process. The dose and the mass of the coagulant are important factors to consider. Furthermore, the pH, initial turbidity of the analyte sample, and properties of the pollutants present in the wastewater sample are also concerning factors.
What is the Difference Between Electrocoagulation and Chemical Coagulation?
The key difference between electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation is that electrocoagulation uses an electrical charge in order to coagulate substances, whereas chemical coagulation uses a coagulant to coagulate substances. Electrocoagulation uses an electric current along with an anode and a cathode while chemical coagulation uses a coagulant such as salts of iron or aluminium. Electrocoagulation is an advanced technique compared to chemical coagulation technique.
Below infographic tabulates more differences between electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation.
Summary – Electrocoagulation vs Chemical Coagulation
Electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation are two types of coagulation techniques. The key difference between electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation is that electrocoagulation uses an electrical charge in order to coagulate substances, whereas chemical coagulation uses a coagulant to coagulate substances.
Reference:
1. “Chemical Coagulation.” ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “The coagulation and filtration processes at a drinking water treatment plant. (14868618507)” By USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency – The coagulation and filtration processes at a drinking water treatment plant., (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia