New trends in removing heavy metals from wastewater.
With the development of researches, the treatments of wastewater have reached a certain level. Whereas, heavy metals in wastewater cause special concern in recent times due to their recalcitrance and persistence in the environment. Therefore, it is important to get rid of the heavy metals in wastewater. The previous studies have provided many alternative processes in removing heavy metals from wastewater. This paper reviews the recent developments and various methods for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater. It also evaluates the advantages and limitations in application of these techniques. A particular focus is given to innovative removal processes including adsorption on abiological adsorbents, biosorption, and photocatalysis. Because these processes have leaded the new trends and attracted more and more researches in removing heavy metals from wastewater due to their high efficency, pluripotency and availability in a copious amount. In general, the applicability, characteristic of wastewater, cost-effectiveness, and plant simplicity are the key factors in selecting the most suitable method for the contaminated wastewater.
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Water Quality Safety and Protection of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China.
Meihua
M
Zhao
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Water Quality Safety and Protection of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China.
Ying
Y
Xu
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Water Quality Safety and Protection of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China. gdzcs@gzhu.edu.cn.
Chaosheng
C
Zhang
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Water Quality Safety and Protection of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China.
Hongwei
H
Rong
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China.
Guangming
G
Zeng
D000327:Adsorption; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods; D007474:Ion Exchange; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Adsorption; Chemical precipitation; Heavy metals; Ion exchange; Membrane filtration; Photocatalysis