Current advances in coal chemical wastewater treatment technology

The wastewater produced by the coal chemical industry contains a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants, which harm the environment, mainly due to the presence of toxic and refractory compounds. So far, a variety of technologies have been used to treat coal chemical wastewater, but there are few reviews in the literature. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive discussion of the research status of coal chemical wastewater treatment technology. First, the classification introduces the treatment sources and water quality characteristics of coal chemical wastewater. Then, a systematic analysis and discussion of wastewater treatment technology were carried out, with emphasis on pretreatment technology, biological treatment, technology, and advanced treatment technology for refractory organic matter. Finally, the future development direction of coal chemical wastewater treatment technology is proposed, pointing out that the combination and optimization of various treatment technologies can alleviate the toxicity inhibition of wastewater on biological treatment, and achieve efficient biological denitrification with the inevitable trend of “zero emissions.”