Photoreactors for Wastewater Treatment: A Review

Photochemical oxidation of organic and inorganic pollutants is rapidly becoming an attractive technique for water purification and wastewater treatment. Since artificial sources of light require much energy delivery, this method is recommended for toxic contaminants in a specific concentration range below the recommended levels for recovery and above the levels for conventional biological treatment. Selection of a light source and an oxidation system and determination of key-parameters play an important role in the treatment efficiency. Sufficient UV penetration into the radiated liquid is of crucial importance; especially for an opaque environment the UV radiation is only available very close to the UV lamp surface. High mass transfer rates for efficient interaction between the pollutant and the photocatalyst and for high oxygen uptake at the gas-liquid interface is another requirement for practical applications. In this regard, reactor design for efficient wastewater treatment has been a challenging problem. Many types of photoreactors have already been studied, reported and patented. This paper presents a revision of some conventional and novel photoreactors equipped with UV/vis lamps or working under solar radiation for wastewater treatment in laboratory and industrial scales.