Shokri Aref, Nasernejad Bahram, Sanavi Fard Mahdi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, 15875-4413 Iran.
Jundi-Shapur Research Institute, Jundishapur University of Technology, Dezful, Iran.
Water Air Soil Pollut. 2023;234(3):153. doi: 10.1007/s11270-023-06139-5. Epub 2023 Feb 21.
The efficiency of heterogeneous electro-Fenton technology on the degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants in wastewater is glaringly obvious. This green technology can be effectively harnessed for addressing ever-increasing water-related challenges. Due to its outstanding performance, eco-friendliness, easy automation, and operability over a wide range of pH, it has garnered significant attention from different wastewater treatment research communities. This review paper briefly discusses the principal mechanism of the electro-Fenton process, the crucial properties of a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst, the heterogeneous electro-Fenton system enabled with Fe-functionalized cathodic materials, and its essential operating parameters. Moreover, the authors comprehensively explored the major challenges that prevent the commercialization of the electro-Fenton process and propose future research pathways to countervail those disconcerting challenges. Synthesizing heterogeneous catalysts by application of advanced materials for maximizing their reusability and stability, the full realization of HO activation mechanism, conduction of life-cycle assessment to explore environmental footprints and potential adverse effects of side-products, scale-up from lab-scale to industrial scale, and better reactor design, fabrication of electrodes with state-of-the-art technologies, using the electro-Fenton process for treatment of biological contaminants, application of different effective cells in the electro-Fenton process, hybridization of the electro-Fenton with other wastewater treatments technologies and full-scale analysis of economic costs are key recommendations which deserve considerable scholarly attention. Finally, it concludes that by implementing all the abovementioned gaps, the commercialization of electro-Fenton technology would be a realistic goal.
非均相电芬顿技术对废水中难降解有机污染物的降解效率十分显著。这种绿色技术可有效用于应对日益增加的与水相关的挑战。由于其出色的性能、生态友好性、易于自动化以及在广泛pH范围内的可操作性，它已引起不同废水处理研究领域的广泛关注。本文简要讨论了电芬顿过程的主要机理、高效非均相催化剂的关键特性、采用铁功能化阴极材料的非均相电芬顿系统及其基本操作参数。此外，作者全面探讨了阻碍电芬顿过程商业化的主要挑战，并提出了应对这些棘手挑战的未来研究途径。通过应用先进材料合成非均相催化剂以最大化其可重复使用性和稳定性、全面实现羟基自由基（HO）活化机制、进行生命周期评估以探索环境足迹和副产物的潜在不利影响、从实验室规模扩大到工业规模、更好地设计反应器、采用先进技术制造电极、用电芬顿过程处理生物污染物、在电芬顿过程中应用不同的有效电池、将电芬顿与其他废水处理技术杂交以及对经济成本进行全面分析等都是值得学术界高度关注的关键建议。最后得出结论，通过弥补上述所有差距，电芬顿技术的商业化将是一个现实的目标。
