Enhancement of biodegradability of industrial wastewaters by chemical oxidation pre-treatment

Chemical oxidation technologies are often employed for the treatment of complex industrial effluents that are not amenable to conventional biological methods. The role of chemical oxidation depends on the treatment objectives and may vary from partial remediation to complete mineralization. In the case of partial treatment, chemical oxidation aims at the selective removal of the more bioresistant fractions and their conversion to readily biodegradable intermediates that can subsequently be treated biologically. Coupling chemical pre-oxidation with biological post-treatment is conceptually beneficial as it can lead to increased overall treatment efficiencies compared with the efficiency of each individual stage. This paper reviews recent developments and highlights some important aspects that need to be addressed when considering such integrated schemes. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.