Chapter 7
Introduction to Oxidative Technologies
for Water Treatment
Marta I. Litter
Abstract Chemical oxidation and advanced oxidation technologies are important
processes for the abatement of refractory and/or toxic pollutants in wastewaters. The
species participating in advanced oxidation technologies are powerful radicals, such
as the hydroxyl radical, HO
• , which can attack virtually all organic compounds at
very high reaction rates. In this chapter, oxidative technologies, such as permanganate, ozonation, Fenton and related processes, electrochemical oxidation,
γ-radiolysis and electron-beam treatment, nonthermal plasma, persulfate, wet air
oxidation, supercritical water oxidation, ultrasound, zero-valent iron, ferrate, water
photolysis under vacuum ultraviolet, periodate, chlorine and heterogeneous
photocatalysis, some of them combined with UV light, are briefly described,
together with examples of their applications. The most important and recent papers
are cited together with review papers. These oxidative technologies can process
wastewaters resistant to conventional treatments and are complementary to them.
Keywords Chemical oxidation · Advanced oxidation processes · Fenton ·
Ozonation
7.1 Introduction
Very strict government environmental regulations have led, over the last few
decades, to the development of new and more effective water purification technologies. In most cases, anthropogenically polluted water can be efficiently treated by
biological methods, activated carbon adsorption or other adsorbents, or by conventional physical and chemical treatments (flocculation, filtration, thermal oxidation,
etc.). Nevertheless, in some cases, these procedures are not adequate for reaching the
M. I. Litter (*)
Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de San Martín,
CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
e-mail: marta.litter@gmail.com; litter@cnea.gov.ar
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Filip et al. (eds.), Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment,
Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29840-1_7
119
Introduction to Oxidative Technologies
for Water Treatment
Marta I. Litter
Abstract Chemical oxidation and advanced oxidation technologies are important
processes for the abatement of refractory and/or toxic pollutants in wastewaters. The
species participating in advanced oxidation technologies are powerful radicals, such
as the hydroxyl radical, HO
• , which can attack virtually all organic compounds at
very high reaction rates. In this chapter, oxidative technologies, such as permanganate, ozonation, Fenton and related processes, electrochemical oxidation,
γ-radiolysis and electron-beam treatment, nonthermal plasma, persulfate, wet air
oxidation, supercritical water oxidation, ultrasound, zero-valent iron, ferrate, water
photolysis under vacuum ultraviolet, periodate, chlorine and heterogeneous
photocatalysis, some of them combined with UV light, are briefly described,
together with examples of their applications. The most important and recent papers
are cited together with review papers. These oxidative technologies can process
wastewaters resistant to conventional treatments and are complementary to them.
Keywords Chemical oxidation · Advanced oxidation processes · Fenton ·
Ozonation
7.1 Introduction
Very strict government environmental regulations have led, over the last few
decades, to the development of new and more effective water purification technologies. In most cases, anthropogenically polluted water can be efficiently treated by
biological methods, activated carbon adsorption or other adsorbents, or by conventional physical and chemical treatments (flocculation, filtration, thermal oxidation,
etc.). Nevertheless, in some cases, these procedures are not adequate for reaching the
M. I. Litter (*)
Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de San Martín,
CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
e-mail: marta.litter@gmail.com; litter@cnea.gov.ar
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
J. Filip et al. (eds.), Advanced Nano-Bio Technologies for Water and Soil Treatment,
Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29840-1_7
119