Integration of Solar Photocatalysis and Membrane Bioreactor for Pesticides Degradation

Abstract

Wastewater containing recalcitrant contaminants as pesticides can be treated by a coupled system which consists of a solar photo-Fenton pretreatment followed by a biological oxidation process. Membrane bioreactor technology (MBR) is particularly suitable for advanced biological treatment of wastewater containing biorecalcitrant compounds and shows a variety of advantages that make it a good alternative to be coupled with photo-Fenton, especially for water reclamation. In this sense, there is a lack of research about the integration of the photo-Fenton oxidation process with biodegradation in MBR. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the viability of the coupled system to treat toxic wastewater containing pesticides. The effluent obtained in the coupled system was high quality water ready to reuse, with low residual DOC concentration, absence of pesticides, absence of solids, and low turbidity values. The present study confirms that the combination of solar photo-Fenton and membrane bioreactors is an effective approach for the treatment of wastewaters polluted with pesticides, achieving carbon removal percentages higher than 95%.