Treatment of surfactant-rich industrial wastewaters with concentrated sunlight: toward solar wastewater remediation

We report here on a photo-Fenton process powered by concentrated sunlight applied for the treatment of surfactant-rich (5–20 g/L) industrial wastewaters. Degradation yields of 89% in 2 min in homogenous and 23% in 1 h for heterogenous conditions pave the way for the development of a low-cost/high-yield wastewater treatment process. Employed as a preliminary stage in wastewater treatment plants or as a small-scale stand-alone operated by small-medium enterprises, it could reduce the environmental and economic impact of wastewaters.