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Removal of Waterborne Particles by Electrofiltration: Pilot-Scale Testing
Citation:
Ying, L., R. Ehrhard, P. Biswas, P. Kulkarni, K. Carns, C. L. PATTERSON, R. Krishnan, AND R. Sinha. Removal of Waterborne Particles by Electrofiltration: Pilot-Scale Testing. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Larchmont, NY, 26(12):1795-1803, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
Theoretical analysis using a trajectory approach indicated that in the presence of an external electric field, charged waterborne particles are subject to an additional migration velocity which increases their deposition on the surface of collectors (e.g. sand filter). In this study, a pilot-scale electrofiltration unit, consisting of an acrylic tank (1 ft × 1ft × 4 ft) with vertically placed stainless steel mesh electrodes embedded in a sand filter, was tested at a local water plant using pre-sedimentation basin water as the influent. Both the turbidity and particle count of the filter effluents decreased in the presence of an electric field. A lower filtration flow rate and a higher electrode voltage resulted in higher particle removal efficiencies. The experimental results agreed with those calculated by theoretical trajectory analysis. It has been demonstrated that the electrofiltration process is more efficient for removal of smaller particles in the size range of several types of waterborne bacteria. A voltage level of 8–12 V was determined to be the most cost-effective range, considering both the energy cost and filtration performance.
