Decolorization of Wastewater

The public demand for color-free waste discharge to receiving waters and tougher color standards have made decolorization of a variety of industrial wastes a top priority. Unfortunately, with the complicated color-causing compounds, the decolorization of these wastes is a difficult and challenging task. This article first describes the background information of dye molecules and dye waste characteristics. The methods for color measurements and standards are then discussed. Different techniques including almost all the known physical, chemical and biological techniques are described for decolorization. Each process alone may not be able to meet the requirements. A combination of these processes, for example, chemical-biological, biological-chemical, chemical-physical, chemical-chemical, etc. is often used. The formation of intermediates during the decolorization process is emphasized. These byproducts may be more toxic than the parent compounds. Thus, the extent of the mineralization in waste decolorization should be evaluated.