• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.563-572
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• 2017

The Electrocoagulation-Flotation (ECF) process has great potential in wastewater treatment. ECF technology is effective in the removal of colloidal particles, oil-water emulsion, organic pollutants such as microalgae, and heavy metals. Numerous studies have been conducted on ECF; however, many of them used a conventional plate-type aluminum anode. In this study, we determined the effect of changing operational parameters such as power supply time, applied current, NaCl concentration, and pH on the turbidity removal efficiency of kaoline. We also determined the effects of different electrolyte types (NaCl, $MgSO_4$, $CaCl_2$, $Na_2SO_4$, and tap water), as well as the differences caused by using a plate-type and mesh-type aluminum anode, on the turbidity removal efficiency. The results showed that the optimal values of ECF time, applied current, NaCl concentration, and pH were 5 min, 0.35 A, 0.4 g/L NaCl in distilled water, and pH 7, respectively. The results also revealed that the turbidity removal efficiency of kaoline in different electrolytes decreased in the following sequence, given the same conductivity: tap water > $CaCl_2$ > $MgSO_4$ > NaCl > $Na_2SO_4$. The turbidity removal efficiency of the mesh-type aluminum anode was significantly greater than the plate-type aluminum anode.