Electrochemical Fencing of Cr(VI) from Industrial Wastes to Mitigate Ground Water Contamination

Abstract

Indiscriminate dumping of solid industrial wastes and the consequent ground water contamination by heavy metals such as Cr(VI) is a major environmental concern. Electrochemical fencing, an extension of electroremediation, appears to be a viable technique for impeding the vertical transport of heavy metals, dissolved in rain water, through the soil to mitigate ground water contamination. Preliminary experiments showed that electrochemical fencing captured 50% of the Cr(VI) dissolved in rain water. However, this percentage can be increased by changing, for example, electrode configuration or electrolyte composition. A novel mathematical model, that calculates the trajectory of Cr(VI) ions, was developed to provide practicing engineers a simple methodology to design and implement real-life electrochemical fencing systems. Because of its versatility, electrochemical fencing can be used to capture a wide variety of carcinogenic heavy metals, or even water soluble organic molecules, and hence warrants further investigation.