Recent Progress in Electrochemical Oxidation Technology: Its Applicability in Highly Efficient Treatment of Persistent Organic Pollutants from Industrial Wastewater

Abstract

Over recent years, industry, agriculture, and other human activities have released a large number of organic or inorganic pollutants into natural water resources. Out of them, water pollution through industrial origin is a great matter of concern since it contributes largely to pollution than other activities. Wastewaters generated from different types of industries like coal processing, pharmaceutical, textile, fertilizers, petrochemical industries, etc., release several types of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) due to their different water handling practices like coke making, dye making, drug and fertilizer manufacturing, etc. Till now there are several treatment technologies that have been applied for the effective elimination of these POPs from water. But most of these technologies have some limitations. Out of them, electrochemical oxidation (ECO) technologies have recognized as highly efficient. This chapter has discussed about the recent progress made in the field of electrochemical oxidation techniques, their modified versions, and future possibilities to get easy and cost-effective wastewater treatment techniques. Authors mainly focused on the working mechanism of the ECO process, different types of electrode materials and their preparation, electrocatalysts, catalytic particle electrodes (CPEs), electrolytes, and their involvement in the reaction. Moreover, authors have also revealed the investment of different operating conditions for the optimization of any electrochemical oxidation technology. Additionally, the preparation of electrodes, their connections (anodes and cathodes) as well as the reactor designs have also been summarized in order to improve the performance of the electrochemical system. Finally, the participation of electrochemical technology specially for the treatment of several persistent organic pollutants generated from different type of wastewaters has been discussed. Lastly, the existing challenges and the limitations in the field of electrochemical oxidation (ECO) technology are also summarized.