Innovative Advanced Oxidation Processes for Micropollutants in Wastewater

Many types of emerging contaminants called micropollutants have occurred with increasing use of drugs, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and personal care products as a result of the developing world. These pollutants have negative impacts on aquatic environments due to their persistence and toxicity. Their low biodegradability makes the discharge of treated wastewater from wastewater treatment plants an important pathway for micropollutants into the receiving water bodies. Conventional wastewater treatment plant processes are not enough to remove micropollutants, therefore advanced oxidation process (AOPs) have become an attractive solution. The main AOPs used to tackle these contaminants are ozone-based processes, H2O2-based processes, Fenton-based processes, photocatalysis, sonolysis, electrochemical oxidation and radiation. Although a single AOP is commonly used in the treatment of micropollutants, recent developments in hybrid AOPs attract great attention. This study provides an overview of the recent studies using AOPs to remove micropollutants from wastewater and also summarizes recommendations for future studies.