5. Conclusions and outlook

This study has shown that the oxidation/bioadsorption combination gives comparable or even better results than those obtained with the conventional activated carbon/chelating resin chain. Oxidation as a pre-treatment step degrades organic molecules (reducing COD, TOC and organic substances such as nonylphenols) and breaks down the interactions between substances, which then favors adsorption. For COD, bioadsorption treatment alone gives reductions ranging from 25% to 65% (~ 45% on average); adding oxidation treatment before the bioadsorption stage significantly increases the reduction of all mineral and organic pollutants present in the discharge (~ 70% reduction on average). The chemical reduction achieved by the proposed coupling can be linked to an environmental gain. Indeed, the reduction in pollutant concentrations in oxidized and bioadsorbed waste corresponds to a clear reduction...