Effective removal of cefazolin from hospital wastewater by the electrocoagulation process.

The present study evaluated the treatment of hospital wastewater by the electrocoagulation process using aluminum and iron electrodes. The effects of pH, voltage and reaction time on the removal efficiencies of the antibiotic cefazolin, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity were investigated. The results showed that by increasing reaction time and input voltage, the removal efficiency of pollutants was increased. The highest removal efficiency of cefazolin, COD, and turbidity occurred at neutral pH, which may have been related to the formation of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) flocs through the combination of aluminum released from the surface of the electrode and the hydroxide ions present in the solution. The conductivity of the treated wastewater at neutral to alkaline pH decreased compared to acidic pH, which may have been due to the adsorption of anions and cations from the solution by the Al(OH)3 flocs. The electrode and energy consumption in the present study was higher than in other studies, which may have been due to the high concentration of COD in and the turbidity of the solution.