A Review on the Degradation of Ionic and Non-Ionic Surfactants in Water

Abstract

Water contamination is a serious problem of current times that needs the immediate attention of mankind. With every passing day, the emergence of a variety of unaddressed contaminants poses a serious threat not only to mankind but also to the environment. Among the common contaminants are heavy metals, microorganisms, agricultural and pharmaceutical waste, radioactive elements, and industrial waste. Among these, surfactants are used widely by industries as well as households, have attracted the attention of agencies due to their inherent features/properties. Due to their specific chemical structure surfactants consisting up of a hydrophobic and hydrophilic part are difficult to degrade by environmental processes. Their presence in the soil and water adversely affects the species surviving in the near vicinity. Long-term consumption of surfactants contaminated water leads to serious consequences. It has become the need of the hour to devise a suitable technologies for degradation of surfactants. This paper gives a detailed account of surfactants, their applications/ uses, environmental impacts, techniques for surfactant degradation, and other mechanisms, current scenario along with future recommendations.