Homogeneous Fenton and photo-Fenton disinfection of surface and groundwater

Abstract

Polluted surface water and groundwater represent a significant human health risk as it is a vehicle for a number of diseases derived from the exposition to untreated drinking water. Historically, chlorination became a great advance on reducing the impact of many pathogens associated with polluted drinking water in developed countries, with the consequent benefits to societies growing and welfare. Nevertheless, other treatments have been investigated during the last decades with the aim of increasing their capability for treating water and overcoming the limitations of chlorination and other conventional technologies including UVC radiation and ozone. Fenton and photo-Fenton process have been demonstrated to be a good option as alternative water disinfection process during the last years. The aim of this chapter is to briefly describe the fundamentals of this process with special focus on particular aspects related to pathogens inactivation in water. Moreover, the most recent scientific contributions on the application of Fenton and photo-Fenton for water disinfection are discussed.