Understanding the efficiency of electrochemical oxidation in toxicity removal

Abstract

Today’s modern society produces a large amount of wastewaters rich in toxic compounds that, if not properly treated, will have deleterious environmental impact. Considering that conventional treatment methods have limitations in the complete removal of some of the most recalcitrant compounds, the need for more efficient treatments becomes imperative. Over the past decades, electrochemical oxidation as proved to be a powerful remediation process due to its high oxidizing nature and ease of operation. However, in recent years, concern for the toxicity evolution of wastewaters, treated by this method, has increased. Therefore, ecotoxicity tests, performed with organisms from different trophic levels, are nowadays an important parameter included in degradation and remediation studies. The present work seeks to increase the knowledge on the efficiency of the electrochemical oxidation method in toxicity removal of synthetic and real wastewaters. Electrochemical oxidation processes will be characterized from an ecotoxicological perspective. This approach will allow to evaluate the influence of the electrochemical degradation parameters, such as electrode material or type of electrolyte, in the modulation of toxicity under different scenarios. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review on the available literature published since its origin, in the 1990s up to the present.