Electrolytic Treatment of Swine Wastewater: Recent Progress and Challenges

Abstract

Electrochemical methods have received an intensive interest in the treatment of many types of wastewaters. In comparison to biological processes, electrochemistry-based approaches such as electrocoagulation and electrooxidation bring about higher efficiencies and shorter reaction times, which render them as promising for future environmental applications. This review is focused on the electrolytic treatment of wastewaters derived from swine production which contain high polluting loads. Recent achievements and fundamental principles of the main electrochemical technologies are presented. Different kinds of electrode materials are summarized, especially anode materials. The effect of important operating parameters is discussed in the context of swine wastewater remediation, such as current density, electrolysis time, pH value, and others. Finally, several leading issues and challenges which could determine the practical adoption of these methods, namely combined processes, hydrogen production and utilization, electrocatalysts, reactor design, and in situ/operando characterization techniques are briefly discussed providing an outlook of novel developments and future research.