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Ferric reduction in organic matter oxidation and its applicability for anaerobic wastewater treatment: a review and future aspects

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Abstract

Anaerobic treatment processes have the advantages of cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, low sludge yield and potential of resource recovery over conventional aerobic treatment methods and have been gaining increasing attention as an approach for future wastewater management. An important feature of anaerobic processes is the use of alternative electron acceptors to oxygen, which renders treatment flexibility in using redox active elements such as iron and sulfate from other waste materials. Co-treatment of acid mine drainage and municipal wastewater, as an example, has been shown to be an effective method for removing organic materials, metals, and phosphate from the both wastes. It also suggested the applicability of ferric reduction process in wastewater treatment. Most of the previous studies on ferric reduction process and iron reducers were conducted in natural systems such as sediments, soils and groundwater. This paper reviews the significance and fundamentals of the ferric reduction process, its utility for organics oxidation, controlling factors, reaction kinetics, microbial processes of iron reduction and its ecology. The paper also evaluates the suitability and discusses future aspects of using iron reduction for wastewater treatment. Knowledge gaps are identified in this paper for developing such innovative wastewater technology and process optimization.

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Acknowledgements

This research is partly funded by a National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research program (NSF/EPSCoR, Award Number 1458952). The authors are thankful for the support.

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  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6103, USA

    Musfique Ahmed & Lian-Shin Lin

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Ahmed, M., Lin, LS. Ferric reduction in organic matter oxidation and its applicability for anaerobic wastewater treatment: a review and future aspects. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 16, 273–287 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-017-9424-3

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