Electro-Disinfection of Municipal Wastewater: Laboratory Scale Comparison between Direct Current and Alternating Current

Electrodisinfection of wastewater has been investigated extensively in the past, although a consensus over the use of direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) as the most efficient electricity source has not been reached to date. The research presented herein compares the use of DC and AC in electrodisinfection of municipal wastewater aiming to provide conclusive evidence on the benefits of using one type of current over the other. During the experimental phase, a bench-scale electrodisinfection reactor equipped with iridium oxidecoated titanium electrodes was operated continuously, and E.coli inactivation, free and total chlorine generation were measured. The results observed indicate that, under the experimental conditions, DC represents a more efficient and economical alternative to electrodisinfection than AC