Introduction

Electrocoagulation (EC) is a process that originates from conventional chemical coagulation. EC treatment is generally characterized by simple equipment, ease of operation, short retention time, and negligible use of equipment for adding chemicals, which would contribute to reducing the operating cost in large scale applications. The suitability of EC processes for decentralized sanitation and water treatment in extreme conditions (e.g., in the Nordic regions and remote areas) is explored. Use of EC as primary treatments, secondary treatments, tertiary treatments, and combinations with other treatments is discussed. Details on how to integrate EC into different treatment processes are also given. Effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants can contain residual phosphorus concentration above the recommended values; the potentially high environmental impact of such high phosphorous concentration (e.g., eutrophication resulting from excess nutrients) is discussed.