Electro-Persulfate Processes for the Treatment of Complex Wastewater Matrices: Present and Future

Complex wastewater matrices present a major environmental concern. Besides the biodegradable organics, they may contain a great variety of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and other xenobiotics. The electrochemically activated persulfate process, an efficient way to generate sulfate radicals, has been...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Annabel Fernandes, Maria João Nunes, Ana Sofia Rodrigues, Maria José Pacheco, Lurdes Ciríaco, Ana Lopes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/16/4821
Description
Summary:Complex wastewater matrices present a major environmental concern. Besides the biodegradable organics, they may contain a great variety of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and other xenobiotics. The electrochemically activated persulfate process, an efficient way to generate sulfate radicals, has been widely applied to the degradation of such complex effluents with very good results. This review presents the fundamentals of the electro-persulfate processes, highlighting the advantages and limitations, followed by an exhaustive evaluation on the application of this process for the treatment of complex industrial effluents. An overview of the main relevant experimental parameters/details and their influence on the organic load removal is presented and discussed, having in mind the application of these technologies at an industrial scale. Finally, the future perspectives for the application of the electro-persulfate processes in the treatment of complex wastewater matrices is outlined.
ISSN:1420-3049