Coupling of cathodic aluminum dissolution and anodic oxidation process for simultaneous removal of phosphate and ammonia in wastewaters

• Al cathode could provide the same flocculation effect as that of Al anode. • Al cathode made the electrolytic system more energy-efficient for water treatment. • Chemical attack by local alkalinity is the mechanism for Al cathode dissolution. • A paired electrolysis was built for the simultaneous removal of ammonia and phosphate. • Paired electrolytic system with Al cathode could effectively treat landfill leachate. Removal of excessive nutrients (N and P) is one of the most concerned issues for wastewater treatment. This study presents a paired electrolytic system consisting of Al cathode and RuO 2 /Ti anode for the simultaneous removal of phosphate and ammonia in wastewaters. The comparative study on the dissolving behaviors of Al cathode and Al anode showed that Al cathode could achieve a continuous and stable dissolution of aluminum, thereby forming flocs and small amounts of water soluble aluminum species for decontamination. The electrogenerated OH – in the vicinity of cathode raised the local alkalinity and caused the chemical dissolution of aluminum. According to the experiment of non-electrolytic dissolution of aluminum in alkaline solution, the local pH resulting in the cathodic dissolution of Al was estimated. The paired electrolytic system showed the capability to simultaneously remove ammonia and phosphate in simulated wastewater, and the pH neutralizing effect in association with the formation of Al species could promote the electrochemical oxidation of ammonia. When the paired electrolytic system was applied to the treatment of landfill leachate, 96.9% of ammonia nitrogen, 87.4% of total phosphorous and 89.9% of COD could be eliminated after three hours of electrolysis at 80 mA/cm 2 . The results shown in study reveal that the dissolution process of Al cathode enables a convenient control on the dissolving-out amounts of aluminum via regulating the applied current density, and the paired electrolytic system can be developed as an energy-efficient electrochemical wastewater treating method.