The Effectiveness in the Removal of PAHs from Aqueous Solutions in Physical and Chemical Processes: A Review

ABSTRACT

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are relatively well-known organic pollutants and due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties, their presence in the aqueous environment still attracts a lot of attention. This article presents a critical review of the literature on the application of physical and chemical processes for removal of PAHs from aqueous solution, including water and wastewater. The effectiveness of coagulation, chemical oxidation, photodegradation, sorption, and membrane processes in the degradation or removal of these micropollutants is described. The PAHs removal efficiency (coagulation ∼ 99%, chemical oxidation ∼ 87%, photodegradation ∼ 93%, sorption ∼ 100%, and membrane ∼ 100%) during the above processes is difficult to compare due to the works conducted under different conditions and using various mediums, e.g., water, wastewater, PAHs model aqueous solutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Aqueous solutions
• coagulation
• membrane techniques
• oxidation
• photodegradation
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• sorption

Funding

The research was funded under statutory research Czestochowa University of Technology (No. BS/MN-401-313/12) and statutory research MEERI PAS. Author Marzena Smol is a beneficent of the project DoktoRIS - Scholarship Program for Innovative Silesia (DoktoRIS - Program Stypendialny Na Rzecz Innowacyjnego Âlàska) funded by the European Union under the European Social Fund.