| abstract |
(57) [Abstract] Electrical purification of contaminated water media such as groundwater and wastewater from manufacturing industries such as paper mills, food processing plants, and textile mills is an improved and more economical open-cell electrolytic cell (10) design Is easily purified, decolorized and sterilized. The electrolytic cell comprises electrodes (18, 20) comprising a plurality of conductive porous elements in electrical contact with each other. The cell (10) may or may not be divided, and may be connected in a monopolar or bipolar configuration. When connected with very narrow capillary gap electrodes (18, 20), a more economical operation is ensured, especially when processing solutions of relatively low conductivity. The novel cell design (10) is also useful for the electrolysis of both organic and inorganic chemicals, such as hypochlorite bleaching and other oxygenated species. |