IHSS&IWA26 / BRNO / CZECHIA / 23–28 August 2026 BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 276 Poster Session / Technologies and Applications Hall A P5.12 Interfacial Partitioning of Hydrophobic Persistent Contaminants During Electrochemical Treatment of Saline Waters Yu-Jung Liu1, Tsai-Hsuan Hsiao2, Ruei-Feng Shiu2,3,* 1 School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, 250, Wu-Xing Street, Taipei 11031, Taiwan (yjliu@tmu.edu.tw) 2 Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 202301, Taiwan 3 Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 202301, Taiwan (*rfshiu@mail.ntou.edu.tw) Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) often possess hydrophobic or amphiphilic properties that promote their attachment to surfaces and aggregation in aquatic environments[1]. These characteristics can influence how effectively contaminants are removed during wastewater treatment. Electrocoagulation-flotation (ECF) is one approach that has attracted attention for removing hydrophobic contaminants[2]. During electrolysis, metal hydroxide flocs and gas bubbles are generated simultaneously, and contaminants are captured through both coagulationdriven aggregation and bubble-assisted transport[3]. Despite increasing interest in electrochemical treatment under saline conditions, the transport processes that ultimately control contaminant partitioning within the reactor remain insufficiently understood[4]. In this study, microplastics were used as model hydrophobic particulate contaminants to examine the processes controlling electrochemical separation in saline waters. Experiments were conducted in artificial seawater covering a wide range of salinities (5-34‰) using an aluminum-based ECF system operated at constant current density. Following electrolysis and subsequent settling, the reactor consistently developed a vertically stratified structure with three distinct regions: a surface layer enriched in bubble-particle aggregates, a clarified intermediate zone (bulk solution), and a sedimented layer dominated by aluminum hydroxide flocs. At low salinity, most particles were transported to the surface through flotation. As ionic strength increased, particle transport progressively shifted toward the sedimented phase. This shift reflects changes in the interactions between particles, bubbles, and flocs as ionic strength increases. Material properties further influenced pathway selection, as denser polymers showed a stronger association with sedimented flocs even under otherwise identical treatment conditions. Overall, the results indicate that electrochemical separation of
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