Enzymatic approach to phenol removal from wastewater using peroxidases

Introduction Phenol and its derivatives are present in various industrial effluents and possess a high level of toxicity even at minute concentrations. This could cause serious ecological problems if phenol-containing effluents are discharged untreated or partially treated into water bodies or land sites. Method Conventional wastewater phenol removal methods, which include biological treatment, adsorption and chemical oxidation such as ozonation and Fenton reaction, have significant challenges especially for large-scale applications. These methods are either time-consuming, require high energy consumption, non-specific or environmental unfriendly as they result in high greenhouse gas emissions or toxic by-products. Enzymatic treatment is appreciated as an alternative wastewater phenol removal approach. Discussion The advantages of enzymatic treatment include highly selective, operate under mild conditions and shorter reaction times. Several techniques to further enhance the performance of enzymatic treatment have been introduced. Conclusion This article discusses peroxidase based enzymatic treatment as an effective approach for continuous phenol removal from wastewater. It also presents in-depth analysis of various conventional approaches in juxtaposition with peroxidase based methods for effective phenol removal from wastewater.