Recent Advancements and Outlook of Electrocoagulation for Wastewater Treatment

• • EC eliminates external chemical coagulants, reducing chemical sludge and operational costs; process control via current density (e.g., 10–50 mA/cm²) and electrode material selection enables rapid adaptation to influent variability, as demonstrated in continuous-flow reactors for leachate treatment (Applied Water Science, 2023). • • The three-stage EC mechanism—electrolytic oxidation, contaminant destabilization, and floc formation—achieves turbidity removal >95% in surface water treatment using continuous-flow reactors (Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2023). • • Current waveform modulation (e.g., pulsed or alternating current) mitigates electrode passivation, enhancing EC performance and reducing energy consumption by up to 30% compared to direct current (Chemosphere, 2023). • • Integration of EC with membrane bioreactors reduces membrane fouling and improves COD removal efficiency by 20–40% in detergent manufacturing wastewater, as reported by Sharghi et al. (Chemosphere, 2025).