A Review on Adsorbable Organic Halogens Treatment Technologies: Approaches and Application

Halogen-containing organic substances have a detrimental and toxic impact on the environment and human health due to their high stability, carcinogenic effects, and ability to accumulate when ingested. The production and release of these substances have significantly increased in recent decades, resulting in a lack of effective treatment technologies. Adsorbable organic halogens (AOX), a specific parameter used to monitor pollution, represents the total amount of chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated organics that can be adsorbed on activated carbon from various environments. This paper provides an overview of selected articles from the past three decades (1990–2023) focusing on the primary natural and industrial sources of AOX. It also evaluates different determination techniques and a variety of removal approaches based on biological, physical, chemical, and combined processes. Additionally, the limitations and efficiency of these approaches are briefly characterized. While biochemical and physical methods have been limited by financial constraints and reduced efficiency, biological, chemical, and physicochemical techniques have shown significant potential in improving water quality. This knowledge can be valuable for the development of alternative water treatment techniques and underscores the importance of sustainable water usage.