PHOTOMICROELECTROCHEMICAL DETOXIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

The generation of hazardous wastes (chemical by-products) is endemic to most chemical manufacturing processes and to the large-scale users of many chemical-based materials. Approximately 300 million metric tons of hazardous waste under U.S. Federal and State regulation were generated annually according to the most recent estimates in 1984, and this is a world wide problem. It is particularly acute in the United States. The petrochemical and refinery industries produce about 70 percent of this waste on a national basis. Geographically, the greatest production of hazardous wastes occur along the Gulf Coast. Presently, land disposal is used for as much as 80 percent of the nationally regulated hazardous wastes, some of which may remain hazardous for years or even centuries. Inappropriate disposal of these wastes on land creates the risk of contaminating, particularly the ground water, causing adverse health effects. An effort will be made in this review to give an overall coverage on the topic of photomicroelectrochemical detoxification of hazardous materials.