Treatment of Textile Wastewater Using Advanced Oxidation Processes—A Critical Review

Textile manufacturing is a multi-stage operation process that produces significant amounts of highly toxic wastewater. Given the size of the global textile market and its environmental impact, the development of effective, economical, and easy-to handle alternative treatment technologies for textile wastewater is of significant interest. Based on the analysis of peer-reviewed publications over the last two decades, this paper provides a comprehensive review of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) on textile wastewater treatment, including their performances, mechanisms, advantages, disadvantages, influencing factors, and electrical energy per order (EEO) requirements. Fenton-based AOPs show the lowest median EEO value of 0.98 kWh m−3 order−1, followed by photochemical (3.20 kWh m−3 order−1), ozonation (3.34 kWh m−3 order−1), electrochemical (29.5 kWh m−3 order−1), photocatalysis (91 kWh m−3 order−1), and ultrasound (971.45 kWh m−3 order−1). The Fenton process can treat textile effluent at the lowest possible cost due to the minimal energy input and low reagent cost, while Ultrasound-based AOPs show the lowest electrical efficiency due to the high energy consumption. Further, to explore the applicability of these methods, available results from a full-scale implementation of the enhanced Fenton technology at a textile mill wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are discussed. The WWTP operates at an estimated cost of CNY ¥1.62 m−3 (USD $0.23 m−3) with effluent meeting the China Grade I-A pollutant discharge standard for municipal WWTPs, indicating that the enhanced Fenton technology is efficient and cost-effective in industrial treatment for textile effluent.