AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRO-FENTON TECHNOLOGY FOR ORGANIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT: OPTIMAL CONDITIONS AND ELECTRODES SELECTION

Abstract

Several conventional methods have been employed to eliminate numerous types of pollutants from domestic and industrial wastewater. Electrochemical techniques are one of these treatment methods used in wastewater treatment. Electro-Fenton technology (EFT) is one type of electrochemical technique. The present review paper aims to provide readers with extensive information about the EFT general definitions, terminologies, mechanisms, fundamental conditions, and statistical analysis based on the published articles for the recent years. The core findings of this work proved that the EFT is more applicable for removing organic contaminants than inorganic ones because of the affinity degree between the adsorbents formed in the reactor and the pollutants. The most important conditions of this technology are the type of anode, the applied current, and the period of the treatment process. The development of the conventional cathode electrode was the most interested field in the literature. The advantages of EFT provide the ability to perform it as a primary or secondary treatment process with other conventional treatment processes. The statistical analysis shows that 68% of the selected cited articles achieved a high performance of EFT when it has performed alone while 32% of these cited articles attained the best performance of EFT in the integrated system with other technologies. The electro-Fenton method is a promising technology to treat wastewater, especially that involving organic pollutants