Treatment of Organic Micropollutants in Water and Wastewater by UV-Based Processes: A Literature Review

This paper provides a review of the up-to-date research on the treatment of micropollutants by UV-based processes. More than 140 scientific publications in the past 10 years were reviewed and analyzed, with emphasis on the peer-reviewed papers in the last three years (2009–2011). Previous studies showed that UV-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) could be efficient for the removal of a number of micropollutants in drinking water and wastewater although direct UV photolysis at disinfection dosages was proven not effective in removing most micropollutants. Among those UV-based AOPs, UV-oxidation with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has attracted great attention and shown numerous advantages as an advanced technology for micropollutants control. The public concern about the impact of micropollutants on the safety of drinking water and the increasing needs of safe water reuse will likely facilitate the application of UV-based processes for micropollutants control in drinking water treatment and water reuse.