Technology Advances in Phenol Removals: Current Progress and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Phenol acts as a pollutant even at very low concentrations in water. It is classified as one of the main priority pollutants that need to be treated before being discharged into the environment. If phenolic-based compounds are discharged into the environment without any treatments, they pose serious health risks to humans, animals, and aquatic systems. This review emphasizes the development of advanced technologies for phenol removal. Several technologies have been developed to remove phenol to prevent environmental pollution, such as biological treatment, conventional technologies, and advanced technologies. Among these technologies, heterogeneous catalytic ozonation has received great attention as an effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable process for the degradation of phenolic-based compounds, which can overcome some of the disadvantages of other technologies. Recently, zeolites have been widely used as one of the most promising catalysts in the heterogeneous catalytic ozonation process to degrade phenol and its derivatives because they provide a large specific surface area, high active site density, and excellent shape-selective properties as a catalyst. Rational design of zeolite-based catalysts with various synthesis methods and pre-defined physiochemical properties including framework, ratio of silica to alumina (SiO2/Al2O3), specific surface area, size, and porosity, must be considered to understand the reaction mechanism of phenol removal. Ultimately, recommendations for future research related to the application of catalytic ozonation technology using a zeolite-based catalyst for phenol removal are also described.

Enhancement of Ozonation Reaction for Efficient Removal of Phenol from Wastewater Using a Packed Bubble Column Reactor

“…The efficient removal of phenolic compounds from industrial wastewater requires a high-performance process with economic feasibility. Different reactor designs have been employed to remove phenol from wastewater, including a semi-batch reactor [28], fluidized bed reactor [29], trickle bed reactor, and bubble column reactor [30][31][32][33].…”

Transition metal doped CeO2 for photocatalytic removal of 2-chlorophenol in the exposure of indoor white light and antifungal activity

“…The structural properties of these phenols and their derivatives have made them difficult to remove from the polluted water by classical methods, i.e., activated carbon adsorption, chemical oxidation, and biological treatment. Because activated carbon adsorption leads to phase separation without degradation of injurious pollutants, the chemical oxidation method is unable to remove pollutants efficiently, and biological treatments are slow and pH and temperature dependent, while the advanced oxidation process seems to be better for effective removal of such sort of destructive pollutants using light ( Eryılmaz and Genç, 2021 ; Ren et al, 2021 ; Saputera et al, 2021 ).…”

Stability Analysis of a Chemostat Model for Phenol and Sodium Salicylate Mixture Biodegradation

“…The phenol/sodium salicylate mixture is found in wastewater from various industries (chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and others). For that reason, modern technologies for removal of toxic compounds from industrial and pharmaceutical wastewater are constantly being developed [5][6][7]. The availability of clean water is important for ensuring human health, societal development and environmental sustainability.…”