SEPARATION OF MINERAL OIL IN WATER EMULSIONS BY ELECTROCOAGULATION

Istražen je utjecaj jakosti struje i vremena reakcije u procesu elektrokoagulacije na učinkovitost razdvajanja emulzije mineralnog ulja u vodi mjerenjem ukupnog organskog ugljika, volumena filtrata, mase izdvojenih nečistoća i promjene mase aluminijevih elektroda. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su visoku učinkovitost procesa za odvajanje ugljikovodika iz emulzije, više od 96 %, izraženo prema sadržaju ukupnih organskih ugljikovodika u vodi, i za sve istražene jakosti struja. Vodena je otopina nakon završetka procesa bila bistra, bezbojna i bezmirisna. Iskorištenje struje povećava se s povećanjem električne provodnosti otopina i smanjenjem gustoće struje. Elektrokoagulacija se pokazala i kao vrlo brza metoda: vrijeme potrebno za potpuno razbijanje emulzije pri jakosti struje 0,1 A bilo je 50 minuta, a pri 1,0 A manje od 10 minuta.The influence of the applied electrical current and time of electrocoagulation on efficiency of the separation process of a mineral oil in water emulsion was investigated by measuring the total organic carbon, volume of filtrate, mass of separated oil phase, as well ass the aluminum electrodes consumption. Results demonstrated a high efficiency of hydrocarbons’ removal form water emulsion, more than 96%, expressed relative to the total organic carbon in water and for all applied currents. Water effluent was clear, without color and odor. The current efficiency increases with the increasing solution electrical conductivity and decreasing current density. Electrocoagulation has shown as a very fast method; time required for a complete separation of emulsion was 50 min for the current of 0.1 A and less than 10 min for the current of 1.0 A