Tratamiento de agua cruda por electrocoagulación solar como alternativa de bajo costo para comunidades rurales

Erlin David Carpio-Vega; Loris Jatsyyanis Rosado-Quintero; William Alberto Romero-Aroca; Julio César Vega-Suárez

doi:10.33571/rpolitec.v21n42a5

Authors

Erlin David Carpio-Vega Universidad Popular del Cesar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9356-7529
Loris Jatsyyanis Rosado-Quintero Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5913-0063
William Alberto Romero-Aroca Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8441-7336
Julio César Vega-Suárez Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2364-0978

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33571/rpolitec.v21n42a5

Keywords:

electrocoagulation, drinking water treatment, rural water treatment, solar energy, iron electrodes

Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of solar-powered electrocoagulation (EC) as a suitable, accessible, and low-cost treatment technology. A lab-scale batch reactor was designed to treat synthetic water simulating the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of a tropical dry forest river, with an initial turbidity of 30 NTU, a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of 50 mg/L, and a high Escherichia coli load (1×10⁶ CFU/mL). The results showed high efficiency, with a turbidity removal of approximately 88.5%, a COD reduction of 76.5%, and a log reduction value (LRV) of >6 for E. coli within 60 minutes. It is concluded that solar electrocoagulation with iron electrodes is a robust, cost-effective, and reliable alternative for small-scale drinking water treatment, holding significant potential for implementation in rural communities.

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Author Biographies

Erlin David Carpio-Vega, Universidad Popular del Cesar

Magíster en Ciencias Ambientales

Loris Jatsyyanis Rosado-Quintero, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina

Especialista en Gestión Ambiental

William Alberto Romero-Aroca, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina

Especialista en Gestión Ambiental

Julio César Vega-Suárez, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina

Magíster en Ingeniería Sanitaria

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