Optimización de reactores fotocatalíticos para el tratamiento de aguas: fuente de iluminación, configuración y tipo de catalizador

Abstract

Nowadays, the protection of the environment stands out as one of the main problems of modern societies with great social, political, technological and economic repercussion. The growth of the population and the expansion of numerous agricultural and industrial activities have led to the necessity of implementing a strict environmental legislation that regulates the quality of the main effluents generated for its discharge in municipal collectors or directly to the environment. Water availability is increasingly scarce, and insufficient natural water resources in arid and semi-arid zones constitute a serious problem for the population settled in them. In European countries, 54% of total water consumption is for industrial use, according to the UNESCO report "Water for all, Water for life"1. Part of the water is discharged after being used, containing waste resulting from the production process. Therefore, industrial wastewater has particular characteristics depending on its origin, which determines its treatment before being discharged into the natural environment. Contamination of surface waters with chemical agents represents a threat to the aquatic environment since, in some cases, this type of contamination has effects such as acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic organisms, accumulation in the ecosystem and loss of habitats and biodiversity, as well as damage to human health.