Electrocoagulation in Huallaga river waters: Effects on contaminant removal and phytotoxicity in lettuce

The Huallaga River in Peru faces severe degradation due to domestic, industrial, and mining activities, threatening both human health and biodiversity. To address this, we evaluated electrocoagulation as a sustainable restoration alternative. Using a Full Multilevel Factorial Design, this study investigated the impact of different anodes (Al, Cu, Fe, SS) and electrical potentials (10 V, 20 V) on real river water. The results demonstrate the technology's high efficiency, achieving significant reductions in turbidity (up to 96.7%), E. coli (100%), COD (93.9%), and BOD₅ (84.8%). A critical finding was the reduction in phytotoxicity; the germination index of Lactuca sativa rose from 55% in untreated water to 83% post-treatment, while the biodegradability index improved from 0.222 to over 0.5. The novelty of this work lies in its integrated approach, simultaneously assessing physicochemical, microbiological, and biological responses through phytotoxicity in a real-world matrix. These findings prove that electrocoagulation is not only an effective engineering solution for pollutant removal but also a vital tool for ecological recovery and safeguarding food security in impacted regions. This evidence supports its potential for large-scale environmental applications.