Removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from wastewater via anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton processes: current status and needs regarding their application

Abstract

This review provides a current opinion on the most recent works that have been published toward the application of electrochemical advance oxidation processes (EAOPs) for the degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in water streams. Advances in the application of anodic oxidation (AO)- and electro-Fenton (EF)-based processes are reported, including operational conditions, electrode performance, and removal. Although AO- and EF-based processes can easily reach 100% removal of PPCPs, mineralization is desirable to avoid the generation of potential toxic byproducts. The following section exploring some techno-economic aspects of the application of EAOPs is based on electrode selection, operational costs as well as their use as cotreatments, and their synergistic effects. Finally, this short review ends with perspectives about the emerging topics that are faced by these technologies applied for the degradation of PPCPs in research and practice. HIGHLIGHTS EAOPs are an attractive alternative for PPCPs such as antibiotics and personal care products.; Anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton can fully mineralize PPCPs in water at short terms with some trade-offs.; Techno-economical aspects such as the lifetime of electrodes and operating costs are the main constrain for EAOPs application.; Cotreatments and synergistic processes could be considered for the successful application of EAOPs.;

Keywords

• anodic oxidation
• electro-fenton
• ppcps
• removal
• techno-economic aspects