Treatment of textile wastewaters by solar-driven advanced oxidation processes

Heterogeneous (TiO₂/UV, TiO₂/H₂O₂/UV) and homogenous (H₂O₂/UV, Fe²⁺/H₂O₂/UV) solar advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are proposed for the treatment of recalcitrant textile wastewater at pilot-plant scale with compound parabolic collectors (CPCs). The textile wastewater presents a lilac colour, with a maximum absorbance peak at 516 nm, high pH (pH = 11), moderate organic content (DOC = 382 mg C L⁻¹, COD = 1020 mg O₂ L⁻¹) and high conductivity (13.6 mS cm⁻¹), associated with a high concentration of chloride (4.7 g Cl⁻ L⁻¹). The DOC abatement is similar for the H₂O₂/UV and TiO₂/UV processes, corresponding only to 30% and 36% mineralization after 190 kJ_UV L⁻¹. The addition of H₂O₂ to TiO₂/UV system increased the initial degradation rate more than seven times, leading to 90% mineralization after exposure to 100 kJ_UV L⁻¹. All the processes using H₂O₂ contributed to an effective decolourisation, but the most efficient process for decolourisation and mineralization was the solar-photo-Fenton with an optimum catalyst concentration of 100 mg Fe²⁺ L⁻¹, leading to 98% decolourisation and 89% mineralization after 7.2 and 49.1 kJ_UV L⁻¹, respectively. According to the Zahn-Wellens test, the energy dose necessary to achieve a biodegradable effluent after the solar-photo-Fenton process with 100 mg Fe²⁺ L⁻¹ is 12 kJ_UV L⁻¹.