Short Communication Greening Electrocoagulation Process for Disinfecting Water

Electrocoagulation (EC) process is an efficient method for treating water especially in terms of killing pathogens. This paper discusses some tools to promote the large industrial usage of EC as a green technology. Concerning EC process design, the focus should be accorded to intensify the EC device in terms of residence time and close contact opportunities between water pollutants and electrodes area. The laminar vs. turbulent regime should be given more interests to better increase the metallic cations liberation from the anode and avoid or reduce the passivation of the electrodes. Evolution of hydrogen form cathode and oxygen from anode should be well optimized; at the same time, chlorine emanation from anode should be avoided or decreased to avoid disinfection by-products generation. Moreover, increasing the water temperature using solar energy heating would enhance the EC process efficiency technically, energetically, and economically. The heated EC process combines EC with distillation (or its similar version, even if at low temperature between 20-100°C) or membrane distillation using solar radiation. Finally, the EC method remains promising vis-à-vis pathogens’ removal and water treatment in a general manner