Degradation of Complex Organic Pollutants in Wastewater by Homogeneous Electro-Fenton

Abstract

There has been a recently increasing interest in homogeneous electro-Fenton technology for the remediation of organic pollutants in water streams. In the electro-Fenton process, organic compounds are oxidized by direct electrolysis on the anode in the electrolytic cell based on the generation of a very powerful oxidizing agent, such as the hydroxyl radical (•OH) in a solution. This chapter presents a review on the fundamentals and realistic application of electro-Fenton as an effective degradation process for complex organic pollutants in wastewaters. The classification of this technique, along with the effect of influencing factors such as current density, concentrations of H2O2, Fe2+, anions, etc. are also discussed in this chapter. In addition, the existing challenges and the most important techniques for eliminating complex aqueous organic pollutants in industrial wastewaters are discussed.