Integrated electro-Fenton and membrane filtration technologies for effective organic pollutant removal and salt recovery from Sesame process wastewater

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Environmental Systems Research

Abstract

This study investigates the treatment of sesame wastewater (SW) using the Electro-Fenton (EF) process followed by membrane filtration. The EF process was optimized by adjusting key parameters, including current density (100–700 A/m²), pH (4–10), hydrogen peroxide concentration (125–500 µL/250 mL), and reaction time (30–120 min) to achieve maximum treatment efficiency. Wastewater characterization was conducted by analyzing chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and total organic carbon (TOC). The optimal EF conditions—500 A/m² current density, pH 8.0, 250 µL H₂O₂ per 250 mL wastewater, and 120 min reaction time—resulted in a COD removal efficiency of 69.28%. Following EF treatment, ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membrane filtration were applied to further purify the wastewater. The NF270 membrane demonstrated superior performance, achieving 97.68% COD removal and 82.41% salt recovery. Notably, while traditional Fenton processes operate optimally in acidic conditions (pH ~ 3), this study found that maximum COD removal occurred under basic conditions (pH 8–10). SW samples were collected from a sesame processing plant in Mersin, Turkey, and maintained at + 4 °C throughout the study. Membrane filtration following EF treatment proved effective for wastewater purification, with the NP030 membrane offering a viable option for COD removal and salt recovery. These findings highlight the potential of an integrated EF-membrane filtration approach for treating high-salinity industrial wastewater, providing an efficient and sustainable solution for wastewater management in the food processing industry.

DOI

10.1186/s40068-025-00410-w

Publication Date

12-1-2025

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