Electroflocculation targets oil-water emulsions
Of the many types of liquid effluents, oil-water emulsions can be among the most vexing to treat. Even though such streams may contain only 1 vol.% oil, this concentration may be high enough to warrant special transportation, treatment and disposal procedures for the entire wastewater stream. Gravimetric methods, including the use of cyclones, centrifuges and coalescers, are widely used to separate the bulk of free oil from oily wastewater streams. However, many of these traditional separation methods cannot recovery trace amounts of oil emulsified in water. Recent advances in electroflocculation have proven effective in breaking oil-water emulsions, and show promise in removing some organic compounds and heavy metals from wastewater. The Oestfold Research Foundation (STO; Fredrickstad, Norway), in cooperation with the process inventor Jan Sundell, has patented an electroflocculation unit called The Purifier. The electroflocculation device is designed to remove the last 0.5 to 1 vol.%; residual oil in wastewater, producing purified water with a final oil concentrations of 5 to 10 ppm.
- OSTI ID:
- 37300
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Engineering World, Vol. 1, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Jan-Feb 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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