Treatment of industrial oily wastewater by advanced technologies: a review

Abstract

Oily wastewater consists of fats, oils and greases together with a broad spectrum of dissolved organic and/or inorganic substances in suspension. It is regarded as one of the most hazardous wastewaters, causing serious environmental and health threats to the ecosystems, flora and fauna. The global increase in the discharge of oily wastewater coupled with stringent regulations for effluent discharge and incessant drive for re-use of treated wastewater necessitate the need for treatment of the wastewater. Conventional approaches employed in the past are inept for oily wastewater treatment due to low treatment efficiency and high operational costs, among others, hence the need for adoption of advanced technologies as promising alternatives to existing treatment systems for oily wastewater. Furthermore, the use of combined treatment processes is effective for the removal of hazardous pollutants present in high-strength oily wastewater. This review provides insights into advanced and emerging state-of-the-art technologies for safe and efficient treatment of industrial oily wastewater.