Solar assisted photo fenton for cost effective degradation of textile effluents in comparison to AOPS

Solar assisted Photo Fenton was compared with advanced oxidation processes for their color and
COD removal efficiency and cost effectiveness. H2O2 alone appeared to be inefficient to reduce
color and COD content of any effluent. The performance of Fenton process was slightly better, color
and COD removals were 45 % and 63% respectively. Photo Fenton treatment of blue effluent
resulted into color and COD removal of 56 % and 66 % respectively. In case of black effluent, the
removal of these parameters was 39 % and 84% respectively. However, application of solar
radiation (18 hours) resulted in substantial color and COD removal (i.e. 52 % and 88 % respectively
for black effluent and 61 % and 85 %, respectively for blue effluent). Solar assisted photo Fenton
proved as the most energy and cost effective (100 to 150 times less as compared to UV/Fe/H2O2
and O3 ) process among all AOPs, although ozone completely decolorized the effluent and showed
more than 87% COD removal in an alkaline medium (pH 9) but at very high cost. The electrical
energy requirements of the tested processes followed the increasing order UV/Fe/H2O2 < O3 < H2O2< Fe/H2O2< Solar/ Fe/H2O2.