Factorial Design Approach to Investigate the Effects of Groundwater Cooccurring Solutes on Arsenic Removal by Electrocoagulation

Effects of groundwater cooccurring solutes such as phosphate ( PO4 ) , silicate ( SiO3 ) , bicarbonate ( HCO3 ) , calcium (Ca), and iron (Fe) on arsenic removal were investigated in this study. Investigation by two-level full-factorial designed experiments revealed that PO4 and SiO3 have negative effect on arsenic removal, whereas HCO3 has negligible positive effect. The effects of Ca and Fe present in groundwater have positive effect on arsenic removal by electrocoagulation (EC). Hypothesis testing at 5% significance level suggests that alkalinity ( HCO3 ) is not an important parameter in arsenic removal by EC in naturally occurring pH range of water.