Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
The dairy processing industry generates large volumes of wastewater with a high pollution load. Although whey can be utilized in various ways, a significant portion still requires treatment before being discharged into the environment. In this study, the treatment of whey was optimized using two processes: persulfate (S2O82−, PS)-assisted electrooxidation (PS + EO) and electroactivated PS with zero-valent aluminum (PS + ZVAl). The treatment performance of the processes was evaluated based on organic matter and color removal efficiency. A novel aspect of this study is the integration of Box–Behnken experimental design with the PROMETHEE multi-criteria decision-making method. With this approach, optimum conditions and the most appropriate alternative can be identified by considering multiple criteria such as efficiency and cost. Using the Box–Behnken experimental design methodology, alternative optimum conditions for the processes were determined through the desirability approach by considering the different preference levels of the responses. Furthermore, by incorporating operating costs into the analysis, the most suitable process type and conditions among these alternatives were determined using the PROMETHEE approach. The preference order of OPTs is obtained as OPT1˃OPT3˃OPT5˃OPT2˃OPT6˃OPT4. The (PS + EO) process (OPT 1) was found to be the most effective, with optimum operating conditions of 10 min reaction time, pH of 4.3 and PS concentration of 7.99 g/L. Under these conditions, Pt–Co, color number removal and COD efficiencies were achieved as 83.4, 87.9 and 60.1%, with a cost of 0.432 €/L, respectively. The findings provide practical insights for the industrial application of integrated electrochemical treatment systems, supporting sustainable and cost-effective management of high-strength dairy effluents.