Enzymatic approach to phenol removal from wastewater using peroxidases

Introduction: Phenol and its derivatives are present in various industrial effluents and possess a high level of toxicity even at minute concentrations. This could cause serious ecological problems if phenol-containing effluents are discharged untreated or partially treated into water bodies or land...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chiong, T., Lau, John, Khor, E., Danquah, M.
Format: Journal Article
Published: OA Publishing London 2016
Online Access:http://www.oapublishinglondon.com/images/article/pdf/1422728589.pdf
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3169
Description
Summary:Introduction: Phenol and its derivatives are present in various industrial effluents and possess a high level of toxicity even at minute concentrations. This could cause serious ecological problems if phenol-containing effluents are discharged untreated or partially treated into water bodies or land sites. Method: Conventional wastewater phenol removal methods, which include biological treatment, adsorption and chemical oxidation such as ozonation and Fenton reaction, have significant challenges especially for large-scale applications. These methods are either time-consuming, require high energy consumption, non-specific or environmental unfriendly as they result in high greenhouse gas emissions or toxic by-products. Enzymatic treatment is appreciated as an alternative wastewater phenol removal approach. Discussion: The advantages of enzymatic treatment include highly selective, operate under mild conditions and shorter reaction times. Several techniques to further enhance the performance of enzymatic treatment have been introduced. Conclusion: This article discusses peroxidase based enzymatic treatment as an effective approach for continuous phenol removal from wastewater. It also presents in-depth analysis of various conventional approaches in juxtaposition with peroxidase based methods for effective phenol removal from wastewater.