PIGMENT WASTEWATER TREATMENT BY FENTON-S PROCESS AND BIOMASS FROM BSF EXUVIAE

Abstract

Pigments have important applications in various fields, such as colorants in food, cosmetic or textile industries and in biomedical applications. Dyes, especially azo dyes contained in wastewaters released from textile, pigment, and leather industries, are entering into natural waterbodies. Nonconventional biomass-based sorbents are the greatest attractive alternatives because of their low cost, sustainability, availability, and eco-friendly. In this work we use biomass produced from Black Soldier Fly exuviae for water treatment. The treatment used is based on an oxidative reagent able to degrade the aimed compounds, either by complete elimination or by reducing their environmental harmfulness. Hydrogen peroxide is a common reactant when it comes to wastewater oxidative treatments. Although it is a highly oxidative species, further activation by cleavage into hydroxyl radicals can be achieved by the presence of ozone, UV-light or transition metals.