Bio-recalcitrant pollutants removal from wastewater with combination of the Fenton treatment and biological oxidation

Abstract The implementation of the Fenton treatment as an intermediate step in combined technological scheme for the removal of bio-recalcitrant organic pollutants from industrial effluents is proposed in this study. The treatment schemes for the purification of three heavily polluted wastewaters originated from a municipal non-hazardous waste landfill, industrial hazardous waste landfill and plywood manufacturing factory were developed. Accordingly, the wastewaters were subjected to aerobic biological treatment (BIO) combined with the Fenton process with the final aim of establishing universally applicable treatment scheme. The study demonstrated that the Fenton oxidation can be successfully included in the high-strength wastewater treatment scheme as an intermediate treatment step for the removal of bio-recalcitrant organics fraction. The elaborated BIO-Fenton-BIO approach was found to be cost-effective for the total organic load reduction and for the selected specific pollutants removal from the studied high-strength wastewaters. Consequently, it could be considered suitable for broader practical implementation.