3. Water treatment applications

Currently, industrial water treatment processes consist of successive filtration stages, followed by a final disinfection stage (usually chlorination). However, in the presence of residual organic matter, this final stage can generate chronically toxic substances known as disinfection by-products (DBP), such as trihalomethanes (THMs). Effluent treatment (urban or industrial) often involves aerobic biological processes. However, when effluents have a low biodegradable content (e.g. leachates from old landfills, chemical industry effluents, etc.), biological treatment is either ineffective or insufficient. In such cases, they need to be combined with more energetic chemical oxidation processes.

A great deal of research is being carried out on photocatalysis applications in water purification