The persistent issue of ammonium cation and the unsatisfactory performances of conventional wastewater treatment processes in low temperature impose the implementation of new techniques to meet current standards on discharges containing this pollutant. In this regard, this research project aims to develop and test an innovative approach to the ecological removal of ammonium cation by electro-conversion in the presence of zeolitic catalysts, with openness to the use of natural aluminosilicates more available and cost-effective.
For this purpose, batteries of six copper-nickel electrodes (30 %, 70 % M / M) and steel ones (AISI 1018) alternated by layers of a zeolite (Clinoptilolite) previously saturated with ammonium cation were used in the presence or absence of chlorides. A mass loss test on the steel electrodes was also performed as well as a lifetime analysis of the latter. The results obtained demonstrated that in the absence of zeolite, the conversion efficiency of ammonium cation barely exceed 50 %. Under the same conditions, a better efficiency was obtained when the ammonium cation is fixed on the zeolite. Thus, the yields obtained in the presence of chlorides exceed 93 % when steel electrodes are used, while in the absence of the latter the yields seldom reached 83 % under the same conditions. Monitoring the loss of mass of the life test of the steel electrodes revealed a decreased of 0.63 % of their mass for a 5V potential after 150 minutes of reaction. This loss of mass could however be minimized by reducing the imposed potential, thus favoring the desired specific reaction of electro-reduction of the ammoniacal nitrogen while limiting the impact of the reduction of the potential on the yield. This opens a promising avenue for the use of much cost-effective aluminosilicates.
| Date | 9 Apr 2018 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Frédéric Monette (Supervisor) & Abdelkrim Azzouz (Co-supervisor) |
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Amor, M. (Author),
Monette (Supervisor) & Azzouz (Co-supervisor),
9 Apr 2018Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Environmental Engineering