Greywater as a sustainable water source: A photocatalytic treatment technology under artificial and solar illumination.

Greywater considers being a highly reclaimable water source particularly important for water-stressed nations. In this work, heterogeneous photocatalysis using artificial and solar illumination has been applied for the mineralization of simulated light greywater (effluents from dishwashers and kitchen sinks were excluded from the study). The effects on the process' efficiency of TiO2 P25 catalyst's concentration, initial concentration of H2O2 and Fe3+, pH of the solution, as well as the type of radiation, were evaluated in a bench-scale Pyrex reactor and a pilot-scale slurry fountain photoreactor. The treatment efficiency has been followed through the evolution of the organic matter content expresses as dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Best results were obtained with the photo-Fenton-assisted TiO2 photocatalytic process with 72% DOC removal after 210 min of bench scale treatment, while under the same photocatalytic conditions in the pilot reactor the DOC removal reached almost 64%. Moreover, the decrease in toxicity, phytotoxicity and biodegradability of the simulated wastewater has been observed after solar-induced photocatalytic treatment.

Sunlight, iron and radicals to tackle the resistant leftovers of biotreated winery wastewater.

Winery wastewater is characterized by high organic content consisting of alcohols, acids and recalcitrant high-molecular-weight compounds (e.g. polyphenols, tannins and lignins). So far, biological treatment constitutes the best available technology for such effluents that are characterized by high seasonal variability; however the strict legislation applied on the reclamation and reuse of wastewaters for irrigation purposes introduces the need for further treatment of the bioresistant fraction of winery effluents. In this context, the use of alternative treatment technologies, aiming to mineralize or transform refractory molecules into others which could be further biodegraded, is a matter of great concern. In this study, a winery effluent that had already been treated in a sequencing batch reactor was subjected to further purification by homogeneous and heterogeneous solar Fenton oxidation processes. The effect of various operating variables such as catalyst and oxidant concentration, initial pH, temperature and lamp power on the abatement of chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), color, total phenolics and ecotoxicity has been assessed in the homogeneous solar Fenton process. In addition, a comparative assessment between homogeneous and heterogeneous solar Fenton processes was performed. In the present study the homogeneous solar Fenton process has been demonstrated to be the most effective process, yielding COD, DOC and total phenolics removal of about 69%, 48% and 71% in 120 min of the photocatalytic treatment, respectively.

Anodic oxidation of textile dyehouse effluents on boron-doped diamond electrode.

The electrochemical oxidation of textile effluents over a boron-doped diamond anode was investigated in the present study. Experiments were conducted with a multi-component synthetic solution containing seventeen dyes and other auxiliary inorganics, as well as an actual effluent from a textile dyeing process. The effect of varying operating parameters, such as current density (4-50 mA/cm2), electrolyte concentration (0.1-0.5 M HClO4), initial solution pH (1-12.3) and temperature (22-43 °C), on process efficiency was investigated following changes in total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color. Complete decolorization accompanied by significant mineralization (up to 85% depending on the conditions) could be achieved after 180 min of treatment. Performance was improved at higher electrolyte concentrations and lower pH values, while the effect of temperature was marginal. Energy consumption per unit mass of COD removed was favored at lower current densities, since energy was unnecessarily wasted to side reactions at higher densities.