APPLICATION OF SOLAR ENERGY IN WATER TREATMENT

In addition to the already well-known application in metal production, electroplating, electrochemical energy sources, electrochemistry is also applied in other branches of industry. Today, electrochemical technologies for the treatment of wastewater and drinking water are increasingly present. In recent years, new advanced oxidation processes based on electrochemical technology - Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), have been developed for the treatment of persistent pollutants, which cannot be removed by conventional water treatments. EAOPs are based on “in situ” electrolytic formation of strong oxidants in an electrochemical reactor, able to degrade almost all organic pollutants. Despite their effectiveness in degrading different types of pollutants, the biggest challenge for EAOPs is high electricity demand to power these systems, which can have serious consequences from both an ecological and an economic point of view. The use of electricity from the distribution network to power electrochemical reactors is the biggest barrier to achieving commercial success of this technology. A possible solution to this challenge is the application of direct solar UV radiation to produce electric energy by use of a solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays for power supply of EAOPs. The aim of the research was to demonstrate the feasibility of using EAOPs directly powered by PV systems, as a sustainable system for efficient water treatment.