1. RAMIRO MARTINS - Technology and Management School, Bragança Polytechnic University, Bragança, LSRE-LCM Laboratory
of Separation and Reaction Engineering-Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials, Faculty of Engineering,
University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, ALICE - Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, FEUP,
Porto, Portugal.
2. THAIS GRABOWSKI - Technology and Management School, Bragança Polytechnic University, Bragança, Portugal.
The extraction of olive pomace oil is a significant aspect of the Mediterranean edible oil industry; however, the wastewater generated contains pollutants that can harm the environment and public health. In this study, peroxi-electrocoagulation (PEC) with aluminum electrodes was used to treat wastewater and reduce pollutant concentrations. A Box-Behnken Design study was conducted to investigate the relationship between hydrogen peroxide dosage, electric current density, and initial pH in the PEC process, and the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phenolic compounds (TPh). The study found that the PEC process could remove an average of 22% of COD and 82% of TPh, with the highest removal obtained with hydrogen peroxide dosages of 30 g L-1 and 20 mA cm-2 . However, pre-treatment with other processes is necessary to reduce harmful elements in the effluent before undergoing biological treatment.
COD Removal, Industrial Wastewater, Peroxy-Electrocoagulation, Pomace Olive Oil, Total Phenolic Compounds Removal.