Cost-effective methods are required to treat a wide range of wastewater pollutants in a diverse range of conditions. As compared with traditional treatment methods, electrocoagulation provides a relatively compact and robust treatment alternative in which sacrificial metal anodes initiate electrochemical reactions that provide active metal cations for coagulation and flocculation. The inherent advantage of electrocoagulation is that no coagulants have to be added to the wastewater and hence the salinity of the water does not increase after treatment. Electrocoagulation is a complex process involving a multitude of pollutant removal mechanisms operating synergistically. Although numerous publications have appeared in the recent past, the lack of a holistic and systematic approach has resulted in the design of several treatment units without considering the complexity of the system and process control mechanisms. Due to the fact that electrocoagulation is thought to be an enigmatic, promising treatment technology and a cost-effective solution for sustainable water management in the future, it will become increasingly important to provide a deeper insight into the pollutant removal mechanisms involved, kinetic modelling and reactor design. Considering the abovementioned facts, in this paper, industrial wastewater electrocoagulation applications have been reviewed with special emphasis placed on the major reaction mechanisms involved in these applications. Evaluation was based on specific pollutant parameters of the sector as well as operation costs including solid waste management, sacrificial electrode materials and electrical energy requirements.

Fluoride ions present in drinking water are beneficial to human health when at proper concentration levels (0.5–1.5 mg L⁻¹), but an excess intake of fluoride (>1.5 mg L⁻¹) may pose several health problems. In this context, reducing high fluoride concentrations in water is a major worldwide challenge. The World Health Organization has recommended setting a permissible limit of 1.5 mg L⁻¹. The application of electrocoagulation (EC) processes has received widespread and increasing attention as a promising treatment technology and a competitive treatment for fluoride control. EC technology has been favourably applied due to its economic effectiveness, environmental versatility, amenability of automation, and low sludge production. This review provides more detailed information on fluoride removal from water by the EC process, including operating parameters, removal mechanisms, energy consumption, and operating costs. Additionally, it also focuses attention on future trends related to improve defluoridation efficiency.

Leachate from sanitary landfills is a strong wastewater in terms of organic matter and ammonia. Organic matter can be reduced by anaerobic plus aerobic treatment; however, ammonia reduction by nitrification often poses problems due to inhibition. In this study, ammonia removal by physical chemical treatment from young leachate and anaerobically treated young landfill leachate was experimentally investigated. Magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation (MAP) and ammonia stripping at pH 12 provided ammonia removals over 90 and 85% respectively. Up to 80% COD removal was obtained with MAP precipitation of raw leachate.