reducing the environmental impact of thermal power plants: a case study

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the aluminum sulfate coagulation in treating the wastewater from thermal power plants to efficiently remove pollutants. key operational parameters—the ph of the wastewater (5 to 9), dosage of coagulant (10 to 40 mg/l), and mixing time (10 to 30 minutes)—were systematically investigated for their impact on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (cod) and total dissolved solids (tds). the coagulation mechanism involves the hydrolysis of aluminum sulfate, generating charged species that neutralize particle charges, followed by adsorption, bridging, and floc formation, which together promote the aggregation and sedimentation of pollutants. utilizing the response surface methodology (rsm) with the design expert software, the process was optimized, revealing that a ph near 7.4, dosage of approximately 40 mg/l of the coagulant, and mixing time of around 22 minutes maximize the treatment efficiency. under these conditions, the removal of cod and tds reached 71.1% and 97.3% respectively, demonstrating the potential of this approach for the sustainable and cost-effective wastewater treatment in thermal power plant operations.