Fenton and biological-Fenton coupled processes for textile wastewater treatment and reuse

Both Fenton oxidation and the combination of aerobic Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) + Fenton oxidation were investigated in a bench-scale study to degrade and reuse a real textile wastewater with a TOC = 465 mg L− 1 C, COD = 2100 mg L− 1 O2 and Escherichia coli = 80,000 CFU mL− 1, according to RD 1620/2007 (Spanish Normative for wastewater reclamation and reuse). The independent variables considered for the optimization of the oxidative process were temperature, H2O2 and Fe (II) concentrations. Under the best stand-alone Fenton operating conditions: T = 25 °C, pH = 3; [H2O2] = 1650 mg L− 1 and [Fe (II)] = 216 mg L− 1, we achieved 64% TOC reduction and > 99% E. coli removal. However, the best results were obtained when applying Fenton process with [H2O2] = 1518 mg L− 1 and [Fe (II)] = 66.5 mg L− 1, as a biological polishing step. The aerobic biological treatment was conducted using a SBR with 1 day HRT. In this case 92% TOC and > 99% E. coli removal were accomplished.The obtained results showed the feasibility of both processes to achieve suitable water qualities for internal reuse, according to RD 1620/2007.

► Oxidation of real textile wastewater with high COD (2100 mg L− 1 O2).
► Fenton and biological-Fenton coupled processes to reuse textile wastewater.
► Abatement of Escherichia coli by Fenton and biological-Fenton coupled processes.
► Achievement of suitable water qualities for internal reuse.