Abstract Leather industries have a predominant place in the economic growth of
various countries and have been a substantial contributor to export and employment
potential. However, due to environmental impacts and water consumption, they are
categorized as red-category industries, and as a result of the complex nature of their
wastewater, currently available water treatment technologies are still inefficient to
meet the standard discharge limits set by various pollution control authorities. This
situation demands the need to introduce green technologies to decrease the pollutant
load, and in recent years enormous research and progress has been observed in solar
energy utilization, which has shown a great potential and has been extensively
implemented for the removal of organic and inorganic compounds from industrial
wastewater.
This chapter contributes the basic knowledge of tannery wastewater, and various
treatment approaches along with the description of geometrical concept of
photocatalytic reactors. The chapter provides an overview and application of solar
photocatalysis in wastewater treatment. Various factors such as solar irradiance,
oxygen concentration, potential of hydrogen production, temperature and catalysis
load which affects solar photocatalysis have been explained in detail.
Keywords Leather industries · Environmental impact · Green technologies ·
Pollutant load · Tannery wastewater · Solar photocatalysis · Photocatalytic reactor
11.1 Introduction
In the context of increased energy demand, and the rapid depletion of conventional
energy resources, attention has been focused towards the development of long-term
permanent energy sources. The development of unique solar-powered technologies
is considered as a key solution to fulfil the worldwide energy demand since the use of
solar energy has been known to mankind and nature from a long time in terms of
food production and heat utilization. Another vision of solar research is related with
the diminishing worldwide carbon emission which is a significant social and environmental issue worldwide (Kabir et al. 2018). Approximately 4 Â 10
6 exajoules of
solar energy that reaches the earth annually can be easily harvestable. Efficient
technologies are readily available to harvest and properly utilize this energy, solar
energy has a potential to fulfil the worldwide energy demand (Blaschke et al. 2013).
Research over the past few decades made possible to harvest solar energy to
generate mechanical and electrical power, but the utilization of solar energy in the
field of wastewater treatment is limited and gaining the interest of researchers from
the last two decades to develop clean, efficient and economic approaches.
360
A. Tripathi and S. Narayanan
various countries and have been a substantial contributor to export and employment
potential. However, due to environmental impacts and water consumption, they are
categorized as red-category industries, and as a result of the complex nature of their
wastewater, currently available water treatment technologies are still inefficient to
meet the standard discharge limits set by various pollution control authorities. This
situation demands the need to introduce green technologies to decrease the pollutant
load, and in recent years enormous research and progress has been observed in solar
energy utilization, which has shown a great potential and has been extensively
implemented for the removal of organic and inorganic compounds from industrial
wastewater.
This chapter contributes the basic knowledge of tannery wastewater, and various
treatment approaches along with the description of geometrical concept of
photocatalytic reactors. The chapter provides an overview and application of solar
photocatalysis in wastewater treatment. Various factors such as solar irradiance,
oxygen concentration, potential of hydrogen production, temperature and catalysis
load which affects solar photocatalysis have been explained in detail.
Keywords Leather industries · Environmental impact · Green technologies ·
Pollutant load · Tannery wastewater · Solar photocatalysis · Photocatalytic reactor
11.1 Introduction
In the context of increased energy demand, and the rapid depletion of conventional
energy resources, attention has been focused towards the development of long-term
permanent energy sources. The development of unique solar-powered technologies
is considered as a key solution to fulfil the worldwide energy demand since the use of
solar energy has been known to mankind and nature from a long time in terms of
food production and heat utilization. Another vision of solar research is related with
the diminishing worldwide carbon emission which is a significant social and environmental issue worldwide (Kabir et al. 2018). Approximately 4 Â 10
6 exajoules of
solar energy that reaches the earth annually can be easily harvestable. Efficient
technologies are readily available to harvest and properly utilize this energy, solar
energy has a potential to fulfil the worldwide energy demand (Blaschke et al. 2013).
Research over the past few decades made possible to harvest solar energy to
generate mechanical and electrical power, but the utilization of solar energy in the
field of wastewater treatment is limited and gaining the interest of researchers from
the last two decades to develop clean, efficient and economic approaches.
360
A. Tripathi and S. Narayanan