Application of photoelectrocatalytic processes for the treatment of industrial waters and effluents from wastewater treatment plants
This project, carried out in close collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano (Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta" - SURFACE LAB), aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an advanced electrochemical oxidation process (photoelectrocatalysis) for the treatment of industrial wastewater and liquid waste. The results have shown that, although this process is indeed capable of removing organic substances and color only after relatively long contact times, it is also able to very quickly and significantly increase the biodegradability of the effluent, thus serving as a potential pretreatment for a subsequent traditional biological process.
Recent studies have also highlighted the effectiveness of the process as a finishing post-treatment for the effluents of purification plants, although in this case, studies are still underway to optimize its operation in order to contain costs.