Abstract: “In this research, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to model the effect of main operational variables including initial pH, initial nitrate concentration, applied current, electrode number and reaction time on the operation cost of nitrate removal by electrocoagulation. It was found that the initial pH, initial nitrate concentration and applied current are the most effective parameters on the model. According to the ANOVA (analysis of variance) results, the model presented high R2 value of 95% for operation cost, which indicates that the accuracy of the polynomial model is acceptable. It can be concluded that RSM is a powerful tool for simulation of operation cost in electrocoagulation process for nitrate removal.”

Keywords: electrocogulation, operation cost, nitrate, response surface method