Efficiency of the Electrocoagulation Process with Iron and Aluminum Electrodes Regarding the Removal of Cefazolin Antibiotics from the Hospital Wastewater

Introduction and purpose: One of the problems of hospital effluents is the presence of drug residues, including antibiotics, which if not completely eliminated, will be diverted to water resources and lead to health and environmental problems. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the electrocoagulation process with iron and aluminum electrodes in the removal of cefazolin antibiotics from the hospital wastewater. Methods: To determine the quality of the sewage, 12 samples were taken from the hospital for one year. The trials were repeated 3 times with different pH values, voltages, and at different contact times. Finally, the concentration of cefazolin was determined using an HPLC device. Other related qualitative parameters were tested based on the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater.    Results: Based on the results, the removal efficiency of total solids, chemical oxygen demand, and cefazolin, at optimal conditions (pH=7, voltage=30V and contact time=30 min) were 69.49%, 79.49%, and 86.67%, respectively. The three-way ANOVA indicated that variations in pH, voltage, and contact time have a significant relationship with the process efficiency (P˂0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that the simultaneous electrocoagulation process with iron and aluminum electrodes is able to satisfactorily filtrate hospital wastewater.