A Review on the Fenton Process for Wastewater Treatment

• September 2014
• Project:
• Enhancement of photocatalytic process in the petroleum wastewater treatment
• 📷Dr. Dheeaa Al deen Atallah Aljuboury
• 📷Puganeshwary Palaniandy
• 📷Hamidi Abdul Aziz
• 📷S. Feroz

In these years, due to the increasing presence of molecules in industrial waste water from factories and petroleum refineries, the conventional biological methods cannot be used for complete treatment of the effluent therefore the need to newer technologies to degrade these refractory molecules into smaller molecules became very imperative. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) constitute a promising technology for the treatment of wastewaters. Fenton’s oxidation was one of the best known metal catalyzed oxidation reactions of water-miscible organic compounds. The mixture of FeSO4 or any other ferrous complex and H2O2 (Fenton’s reagent) at low enough pH, results in Fe2+ catalytic decomposition of H2O2 and proceeds via a free radical chain process that produces hydroxyl radicals which have extremely high oxidizing ability and could oxidize hard to decompose organic compounds in a short time. This work aims at highlighting Fenton’s oxidation processes operating at ambient conditions viz. photo-catalytic oxidation, Fenton’s chemistry and use of hydrogen peroxide. The pre-oxidation of an extremely polluted pharmaceutical wastewater, Direct Blue 71 (DB71) oil recovery industry wastewater, the fish canning industrial wastewater, Active pharmaceutical intermediates (API) in waste waters by Fenton’s oxidation process to degrade organic pollutants. The work highlights the basics of these individual processes including the reactor design aspects, the optimum parameters such as dosage of ferrous sulfate and hydrogen peroxide, pH and initial concentration of pollutants and a complete overview of the various applications to wastewater treatment by Fenton’s oxidation processes in the recent years. This study presents a general review on the effectiveness of Fenton’s technique for the treatment of semi-aerobic landfill leachate (Treatment with Fenton’s reagent appears to be an appropriate method for oxidizing recalcitrantcompounds from landfill leachate), coking wastewater, drinking water networks contaminated with chlorfenvinphos (CFVP), organic pollutants in the textile effluent, pharmaceutical wastewater and agro-industrial wastewaters.

Hello Mr. Kumar,

The treatment of organic wastes in industrial wastewater prior to its discharge is performed by oxidative removal mediated by a mixture of ferrous/ferric ions and hydrogen peroxide, together known as Fenton's reagent. The principle behind the technology is to employ certain metals with greater oxygen transfer potentials to increase the performance of hydrogen peroxide. The ferrous ion actually induces the catalysis of the peroxide to form hydroxyl radicals. This is also brought about sometimes in combination with UV radiation known as the Photo Fenton's reaction. The hydroxyl radicals are generated in sequence and the Fenton's reaction continues through acid-base modification or pH optimization, oxidation, buffering and coagulation of the contaminants followed by separation via precipitation. The wastes are removed by both the oxidation as well as precipitation of the coagulated materials. The peroxide can also remove the hydroxyl radicals in addition to being the oxidant in an aqueous environment. The typical dosage ratio is 1 parts iron to 5-25 parts of H2O2. The pH needs to be in the acidic range otherwise the higher pH around 7-9 can easily precipitate the ferric hydroxide out of the solution and the peroxide will simply revert to oxygen. Ferrous sulfate normally serves as the iron source.

Best Regards,

Dr. Abhishek Mukherjee

Dear Abhishek ji

Thanks for your response.

Please let me tell how Fenton Reaction solution is prepared and how does its demand as an oxidant is estimated before injecting its dose.

Please let me tell the contact time (period) also for the accomplishment / execution of complete reaction as is done during chlorine demand process.

Regards

Lokesh Kumar

Dear Abhishek ji

Thanks for your response.

Please write me your mobile number or call me on 9818863285

Let me discuss a little more.

Regards

Lokesh Kumar

Lokesh Kumar: I believe that the best way would be to learn basic chemistry of Fenton´s oxidatio at first. Please see the following links

http://www.h2o2.com/industrial/fentons-reagent.aspx?pid=143

https://www.lenntech.com/fenton-reaction.htm

or attached publications. When you understand well the chemistry of Fenton´s oxidation you can answer your further qustion yourself.

Good luck!

Vit

Thank you Vit Mateju Sir

In letterature you can read all about Fenton’s process but this process is usually utilized for elimination of surfactants. Nevertheless it produce a very very large

quantitative of sludge. It is better use ozone: very easy, very cheap, no sludge and good results.

I do not agree with Paolo Broglio. We employed Fenton´s oxidation in full scale application for elimination of 1,2,4-trichlorbenzen, 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene, 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene, o-dichlorobenzene, m-dichlorobenzene, p-dichlorobenzene,

phenol, 2-naphtol, aniline, N-ethylaniline, chloroanilines, dichloroanilines,

2,4,6-trimethylanilin from contaminated groundwater. The formation of sludge was not problem. All pollutants were succesfully degraded. We totally treat above 2,000 m3 of groundwater. The sludge formation depends upon iron dosage. If the process is designed properly, no problems with sludge formation.

It is not truth, that Fentonˇs oxidation is used for surfactant elimination. There exist many examples for full scale application for eliminatiocn of chlorinated ethylenes for example,

Best regards

Vit

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your responses. but, I am interested to understand whether Ammonia Nitrogen in Wastewater/ water can be neutralised/ destroyed by Fenton Reaction method.

I do find oxidation of ammonia by Fenton Reaction Method. Moreover, measurement of residual H2O2 and prior estimation of H2O2 demand seems to be a problem.

Please spread light on the problem electrification.

Regards

Lokesh Kumar

Dear Lokesh why destroyed ammonia in wastewater by Fenton? There are a lot of processes for solve This question. In wastewater treatment you can use more cheap sistems as biological nitrification-denitrification.

Dear Paolo Broglio

Please send me some details on biological nitrification-denitrification.

Regards

Dear Lokesh you can found in letterature many and many pages about biological nitrification-denitrification. Nevertheless i will send you a my power point about.

Best regards

Paolo

Dear Paolo Broglio,

Please send me your power point.

Regards

Lokesh Kumar

I agree with Paolo Broglio

Mr. Lokesh Kumar:

it looks that you need firstly to know, what are you looking for.

When you start with Fenton´s oxidation in wastewater treatment and finish with oxidation of ammonium it is a little bit peculiar.

If your question is how to reduce ammonium in wastewater using Fenton´s oxidation, the answer of Mr. Paolo Broglio ir correct. It is not a good choice to use Fenton´s oxidation for ammonium reduction in wastewater. There exist many better ways how to reduce ammonium in wastewater as mentioned above.

Best regards

Vit