Advanced oxidation processes for waters and wastewaters treatment : Application to degradation of refractory pollutants
This review deals with advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for water and wastewater treatment. Most AOPs combine two or three chemical oxidants in order to produce hydroxyl radicals. These free radicals are species capable of oxidizing numerous complex organic, non-chemically oxidizable or difficulty oxidizable compounds. They efficiently react with carbon-carbon double bonds and attack the aromatic nucleus, which are prevalent features of refractory organic compounds. The AOPs can be divided into four groups: homogenous chemical oxidation processes (H2O2/Fe2+ and H2O2/O3), homogenous/heterogeneous photocatalytic processes (H2O2/UV, O3/UV and Fe2+/H2O2/UV; TiO2/UV), sonification oxidation processes (ultrasound oxidation) and electrochemical oxidation processes. The H2O2/Fe2+ system represents the most common and simplest AOP, which is often employed for the treatment of industrial effluents. However for drinking water treatment, the H2O2/O3 system is commonly used for pesticide removal. Electrochemical, photo-catalytic and sonification oxidation processes require fewer chemicals and are more easily automated than other AOPs. These technologies are effective in improving the treatment of industrial wastes, wastewater and drinking water, for example after their integration into a treatment plant or after their replacement of conventional processes that are found to less effectively eliminate specific organic and inorganic pollutants. The goal of this paper is to review published literature on the use of AOPs for water and wastewater treatment and the removal of refractory pollutants. Specifically, the objectives are: (i) to understand the theory and mechanisms of pollutant removal in AOPs, (ii) to provide a database for AOP applications, and (iii) to suggest new research directions for the development of AOPs.