Choosing the right system for cardboard wastewater treatment by chemical and electrical coagulation method using “analytical hierarchy process”(AHP)

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to compare the two systems of electrical coagulation and chemical coagulation in the treatment of waste water in cardboard industries. These two wastewater treatment methods were investigated with the help of analytical hierarchy process”(AHP). First, the research criteria were determined. These criteria included Economic, Efficiency, Energy consumption and Operation. Some criteria also had sub-criteria. After pairwise comparison and normalization of criteria, research options were weighted. The efficiency of these two methods to remove COD, TSS was investigated. The results showed that electric coagulation is higher than chemical coagulation in terms of efficiency with a weight of 0.75, economy with a weight of 0.737, Energy consumption with a weight of 0.667 and operation weight with a weight of 0.8. Finally, the electrical coagulation system was chosen as the final option with a weight of 0.74 and chemical coagulation as the second option with a weight of 0.26. In the treatment of cardboard waste, the consumption of chemicals is very high, so the electrocoagulation method can be very cost-effective. Also, operator error in this system was very low and work efficiency was higher.