Abstract:

The concentrations of surfactants occurring in textile wastewater generated in washing processes reach from tens to several thousands of mg/dm3. A separate problem are the surfactants which remain on the walls of used packages. These remnants are eluted with water, and the concentration of detergents in sewage formed in this way is even higher than in washing baths, and can reach thousands of mg/dm3. The purpose of the study was to determine the degradability of selected detergents in highly concentrated water solutions exposed to Fenton’s reagent. Experiments were made on 8 solutions of selected detergents and their mixtures. The authors investigated the effects of optimising Fenton’s process, taking the Empicol and Slovafol solutions as examples. It was found that Fenton’s process could be successfully used in concentrated water solutions of detergents. The degrees of reduction obtained are high, reaching 97% even at very high initial COD values (~ 35,000 mg O2/dm3).