1Department of Civil Engineering, D Y Patil College of Engineering Akurdi, Pune 411044, India. Email: vipingunthe@gmail.com
2Department of Civil Engineering, D Y Patil College of Engineering Akurdi, Pune 411044, India. Email: sjmane@dypcoeakurdi.ac.in
3Department of Civil Engineering, D Y Patil College of Engineering Akurdi, Pune 411044, India. Email: dr.ashokbmore@gmail.com
4*Department of Civil Engineering, D Y Patil College of Engineering Akurdi, Pune 411044, India. Email: smaurya1689@gmail.com. Orchid Id: 0000-0003-1355-8364
Background: Water usage in households, companies, and the environment is severely restricted by groundwater hardness, which is mostly caused by high concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions. Water consumption in homes, businesses, and the environment is severely hampered by groundwater hardness, which mainly comes by elevated calcium and magnesium ion concentrations. With current softening methods, issues like high chemical consumption, sludge formation, and operational complexity are frequent. In order to remove hardness from groundwater under continuous flow conditions, this study investigated electrocoagulation (EC) using aluminum electrodes. Groundwater samples from Pune, India, had an exceptionally high total hardness (840 mg/L as CaCO₃), above both the WHO and BIS permissible standards.
Methods: A laboratory-scale EC reactor operating at various current densities (8–24 A m⁻²) and detention times (5–80 min) has been used to assess the removal efficacy of total hardness, calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, and total dissolved solids (TDS).
Results: The results demonstrated that both current density and detention duration had a significant impact on treatment efficiency. Approximately 90% of the overall hardness was removed at current densities of 22–24 A m⁻² after 20–30 minutes of detention. Under ideal circumstances, the removal efficiencies of calcium and magnesium were over 85% and 95%, respectively. Within an ideal working window of 20–22 A m⁻² and 35–50 minutes of detention time, zeta potential investigation verified efficient charge neutralization and floc destabilization, ensuring stable floc formation without excessive charge reversal.
Conclusion: The results demonstrate that electrocoagulation is an efficient, chemical-free, and ecologically friendly method of removing hardness from groundwater, with great promise for real-world and expandable water treatment uses.
Keywords: Electrocoagulation; Hardness removal; Groundwater; Aluminium electrodes; Continuous flow treatment
How to cite this article: Gunthe VS, Mane SJ, More AB, Maurya S. Electrocoagulation as a Sustainable Approach for Groundwater Hardness Removal. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(13s): 671-681. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.13s.74.
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None