1. Allow rapid degradation of organic pollutants while preventing the formation of
new toxic species
2. It leads to the total mineralization of organic pollutants.
3. Use few or no chemical reagents.
4. Have energy costs as low as possible.
The electrochemical oxidation has variants in its application, which have advantages to each other; all have been successfully tested for the degradation of organic
compounds:
1. Anodic oxidation (Martínez-Huitle et al. 2008; Wu et al. 2012).
2. Electro-Fenton (Ammar et al. 2007; Balci et al. 2009).
5.4.2 Biological Oxidative Processes
Domestic and some industrial wastewaters contain large amounts of biodegradable
organic compounds in addition to relatively small concentrations of recalcitrant
compounds. These last persistent compounds can lead to failure to discharge effluents if they are not specifically eliminated. The biological treatment for the degradation of organic compounds mineralizes a large portion that is biodegradable,
effectively reducing the residual chemical oxygen demand of the water (Manilal
et al. 1992), so this method is widely used in the treatment of wastewater that has a
significant load of organic matter.
The biological degradation of a chemical compound refers to the elimination of
the contaminant by the metabolic activity of living organisms, generally microorganisms and in particular bacteria and fungi that live in water and soil naturally
(Oller et al. 2011). In this context, conventional biological processes do not always
provide satisfactory results, especially for the treatment of industrial wastewater,
since many of the organic substances produced by the chemical industry are toxic or
resistant to biological treatment (Lapertot et al. 2006; Muñoz and Guieysse 2006).
Industrial waste streams often contain biodegradable compounds that have a certain
degree of toxicity or activity inhibition for biocultivation. These compounds can be
degraded by comet activity or by the presence of specific degrading species in the
microbial population. The bioculture that treats a toxic or inhibitory effluent is often
less robust and more susceptible to a system disorder (Scott and Ollis 1995), In this
sense, we have opted for the combination of previous treatments such as chemical
pre-oxidation, which helps the microbiological culture to metabolize more easily and
efficiently the sub compounds degraded by the chemical oxidation process.
5.4.2.1 Choice of Biological Agents for the Oxidation of Organic
Pollutants
The appropriate biological scheme depends on the characteristics of the wastewater
and the purpose of the treatment. Wastewater with multiple biodegradable organic
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S. M. Sathianesan Vimala et al.
new toxic species
2. It leads to the total mineralization of organic pollutants.
3. Use few or no chemical reagents.
4. Have energy costs as low as possible.
The electrochemical oxidation has variants in its application, which have advantages to each other; all have been successfully tested for the degradation of organic
compounds:
1. Anodic oxidation (Martínez-Huitle et al. 2008; Wu et al. 2012).
2. Electro-Fenton (Ammar et al. 2007; Balci et al. 2009).
5.4.2 Biological Oxidative Processes
Domestic and some industrial wastewaters contain large amounts of biodegradable
organic compounds in addition to relatively small concentrations of recalcitrant
compounds. These last persistent compounds can lead to failure to discharge effluents if they are not specifically eliminated. The biological treatment for the degradation of organic compounds mineralizes a large portion that is biodegradable,
effectively reducing the residual chemical oxygen demand of the water (Manilal
et al. 1992), so this method is widely used in the treatment of wastewater that has a
significant load of organic matter.
The biological degradation of a chemical compound refers to the elimination of
the contaminant by the metabolic activity of living organisms, generally microorganisms and in particular bacteria and fungi that live in water and soil naturally
(Oller et al. 2011). In this context, conventional biological processes do not always
provide satisfactory results, especially for the treatment of industrial wastewater,
since many of the organic substances produced by the chemical industry are toxic or
resistant to biological treatment (Lapertot et al. 2006; Muñoz and Guieysse 2006).
Industrial waste streams often contain biodegradable compounds that have a certain
degree of toxicity or activity inhibition for biocultivation. These compounds can be
degraded by comet activity or by the presence of specific degrading species in the
microbial population. The bioculture that treats a toxic or inhibitory effluent is often
less robust and more susceptible to a system disorder (Scott and Ollis 1995), In this
sense, we have opted for the combination of previous treatments such as chemical
pre-oxidation, which helps the microbiological culture to metabolize more easily and
efficiently the sub compounds degraded by the chemical oxidation process.
5.4.2.1 Choice of Biological Agents for the Oxidation of Organic
Pollutants
The appropriate biological scheme depends on the characteristics of the wastewater
and the purpose of the treatment. Wastewater with multiple biodegradable organic
128
S. M. Sathianesan Vimala et al.