Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology
technical excellence, scientific accuracy, and
Green technologies (GTs) refer to a group of
practical methodologies and materials based,
among others, on non-toxic chemical processes,
clean energies, and environmental monitoring to
slow down or correct the negative impact induced
by human activities. Green technologies are aimed
to provide better sustainability through securing
our societal needs without further damaging or
depleting the remaining natural resources. This
could be achieved through:
 Recycling of manufactured goods and
products.
 Decreasing waste and pollution by
improving the behavior of human
production and consumption.
 Development of clean alternative
technologies and energies to replace those
proven to negatively impact health and
pollute the environment.
 Set up economical models to implement
and commercialize related innovations by
encouraging the creation of jobs and novel
careers in the field.
Twelve Principles
The Twelve Principles of Green Engineering
Unfortunately, the twelve principles of green
chemistry do not explicitly include a number
of important concepts, highly relevant to
environmental impact; for example, the
inherency of a product or process, the need for
life cycle assessment, or the possibility of heat
recovery from an exothermic reaction or heat
integration. This approach builds on the
2020-21
systematic thinking that have addressed in
recent years the issue of science and
technology for sustainability and sustainable
development.
Principle 1. Designers need to strive to
ensure that all material and energy inputs
and outputs are as inherently non hazardous as
possible.
Principle 2. It is better to prevent waste than to
treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
Principle 3. GT Separation and purification
operations should be a component of the design
framework.
Principle 4. System components should be
designed to maximize mass, energy and
temporal efficiency.
Principle 5. System components should be
output pulled rather than input pushed
through the use of energy and materials.
Principle 6. Embedded entropy and
complexity must be viewed as an investment
when making design choices on recycle, reuse
or beneficial disposition.
Principle 7. Targeted durability, not
immortality, should be a design goal.
Principle 8. Design for unnecessary capacity
or capability should be considered a design
flaw which includes engineering ‘‘one size fits
all’’ solutions.
Principle 9. Multi component products should
strive for material unification to promote
disassembly and value retention.
Principle 10. Design of processes and
systems must include integration of
interconnectivity with available energy and
materials flows.
Principle 11. Performance metrics include
designing for performance in commercial ‘‘after
life’’.
Principle 12. Design should be based on
renewable and readily available inputs
throughout the life cycle.
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Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology
Application fields of
Green Technologies GTs
Energy
One important application field of GTs
relies on the development of alternative
fuels. Clean, renewable and efficient new
energy sources are being developed and
implemented, including wind turbines, solar
cells, and bioreactors. These sources
produce power without releasing toxic
wastes into the environment as conventional
fossil fuels.    organic solvent extracts a solute from an
 Environmental cleaning and
remediation
The second important application of a green
technologies deals with the environmental
cleaning and remediation. This includes
water and air purification, sewage treatment,
environmental remediation, and waste
management. A number of green physical
and chemical processes are employed to
clean and remediate the environment
without generating hazardous substances or
toxic by-products.
 Environmental monitoring
and energy conservation
The third application field of GTs comprises
monitoring including weather forecasting,
remote online monitoring of discharges with
cognitive reasoning, and so on.  Advanced
weather forecasting is used to predict
weather and its impact on infrastructure so
that in combination with building
monitoring can minimize energy waste and
emission of greenhouse gasses. Remote,
online monitoring systems integrated
with the Internet of Things (IoT) enables
municipalities, corporations, and
2020-21
environmental agencies to keep track of
effluents and discharges in realtime, while
being able to make process or other changes
as necessary to ensure compliance.
Extraction theories of
green organic solvents
and their impact of
wastewater to be treated
Extraction theory explains how and why an
aqueous phase, and thus underpinning the
efficiency of an extraction process.
Therefore, it is vital to understand the
extraction theory of green organic solvents
before their application suitability for a
specific type of wastewater can be
determined. A different sole green organic
solvents, namely, PFAD, PKFAD, Jatropha
oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil,
coconut oil, choline chloride-glycolic acid
mixtures, and choline chloride-phenol
mixtures, have extracted various solutes
from aqueous solutions. These sole green
organic solvents can be divided into three
categories: free fatty acid (FFA)-rich oils
(PFAD, PKFAD, and Jatropha oil),
triglyceride-rich oils (rapeseed, sunflower,
palm, and coconut oils), and deep eutectic
solvents (choline chloride-glycolic acid and
choline chloride-phenol mixtures). In this
section, the extraction theories of different
categories of sole green organic solvents are
outlined and their impacts on the types of
wastewater to be treated are discussed.
FFA-rich oils
FFA-rich oils are non-edible vegetable oils
that are naturally rich in FFAs, for instance,
PFAD (85 wt% FFAs), PKFAD (92 wt%
FFAs), and Jatropha oil (17 wt% FFAs),
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Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology
with FFAs as the active components that
bind with the solutes of interest during
extraction. In general, FFAs are unesterified
fatty acids which occur as free molecules in
nature as opposed to their fatty acid
counterparts that are often esterified to lipid
molecules. Being free molecules, FFAs
carry acidic protons (H+) thus are capable of
functioning as acidic extractants. On the
whole, acidic extractants extract cationic
solutes from aqueous solutions where
cationic solutes from the aqueous phase
exchange their places with the acidic H+ of
acidic extractants from the organic phase to
produce hydrophobic neutral complexes.
Nevertheless, owing to the strong interaction
between the partially positive hydrogen
atom in their –OH groups and the partially
negative oxygen in their carbonyl groups.
This highly pH-dependent behavior of
extraction by FFAs has been reported by
several researchers who studied the
extraction of various metal ions from
aqueous solutions by pure fatty acids.
Therefore, one may conclude that FFA-rich
oils behave like pure fatty acids during
extraction and are effective in extracting
cationic solutes, chiefly metal ions, from
aqueous solutions and thus could be applied
in the treatment of metal-containing
wastewater from various industries.
Triglyceride-rich oils
Triglyceride-rich oils refer to edible
vegetable oils that are low in FFAs (< 2 wt
%) but high in triglycerides (> 90 wt%).
Triglycerides are esters derived from
glycerol and three fatty acids. Owing to the
long carbon chains, mostly 16, 18, and 20
carbon atoms, triglycerides are nonpolar
lipid substances that do not dissolve readily
in polar solvents like water. As a result,
triglyceride-rich oils are essentially nonpolar
and thus tend to dissolve nonpolar solutes
based on the “like dissolves like” aphorism.
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On the microscopic level, the dissolution of
nonpolar solutes in nonpolar solvents is due
to the attractive London dispersion forces
arising from the quantum-induced
instantaneous polarization multipoles in the
solute and solvent molecul. This ability of
triglyceride-rich oils to extract (dissolve)
different nonpolar solutes from aqueous
solutions has been ascertained by several
researchers. Since phenol and dyes may
exist in the form of molecules (nonpolar) or
ions (polar) in an aqueous solution
depending on the pH of the aqueous solution
in which they dissolve in, a careful
manipulation of the solution pH that favors
the formation of their nonpolar molecules.
Hence, it may be concluded that
triglyceride-rich oils are effective in
extracting nonpolar solutes, mostly organic
compounds like phenol and dyes, from
aqueous solutions and thus could be used to
treat organic wastewater from different
industries.
Deep eutectic solvents
Deep eutectic solvents are eutectic mixtures
of a hydrogen bond acceptor and one or
more hydrogen bond donors that have a
lower melting point than their individual
components. The typical hydrogen bond
acceptors used to synthesize deep eutectic
solvents are various halide salts, while the
hydrogen bond donors used are urea and its
derivatives, organic acids, and renewable
polyols.. A good dissolution of metal oxides
in deep eutectic solvents containing
carboxylic acids under acidic conditions. It
was also claimed that the most effective
deep eutectic solvent for simultaneous
extraction of multi-bioactive components
with different polarity, while other dissolve
the most organic and inorganic acids from
pyrolysis oil with a deep eutectic solvent. In
water treatment, achieved a high extraction
of Eriochrome black T (anionic dye) from
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Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology 2020-21

aqueous solutions using a deep eutectic
solvent made up of choline chloride and
glycolic acid at 1:1 molar ratio under acidic
conditions due to the extensive hydrogen-
bonding interaction between the –OH
groups of Eriochrome black T and Cl− of the
solvent. Despite the relatively scarce
application of deep eutectic solvents as
extracting solvents in water treatment, the
ability of deep eutectic solvents to interact
with various solutes through hydrogen
bonding, π-π interaction, ion exchange and
so forth has designated them as the
prospective extracting solvents for a wide
range of organic and inorganic water
pollutants. Therefore, deep eutectic solvents
are anticipated to treat various organic and
inorganic wastewater from different
industries.
toxicity of any remaining pollutants and disinfect
the wastewater before release it to the
environment. 
 Bioreactors
The most common employed GTs for wastewater
treatment rely on the concept of a bioreactor.
Basically, a bioreactor is a device containing
bacteria and microorganisms placed or
immobilized in/on:  a moving bed biofilm reactor,
deposited on a packed or fiborous bed, or attached
to a membrane to form a biofilm. Bioreactors are
usually equipped with separators linked to
sequential tanks and a mechanical separator aimed
to accelerate the split of liquid water from the
biosolids. In addition, they also contain a reactor
oxygen supply aimed to speed up the biochemical
reactions undertaken by the living microorganisms.
The contact between the wastewater and
bacteria/microorganisms present in the bioreactor’s
platform induces biochemical reactions, which at
the end lead to a transformation of

GTs for wastewater contaminant/pollutants to other less or non-toxic

forms.  In the case of metal-containing wastewater,
bioreactors inoculated with sulphate reducing
treatment bacteria (SRB) produce hydrogen sulphide which
Waste water treatment refers to the process precipitates the dissolved metals as insoluble metal
of removing contaminants and undesirable sulphides that are recovered as valuable by-
components from domestic, industrial and polluted products. 
waters to safely return it to the environment for
drinking, irrigation, industrial, and other uses. 
Today, the increase in ecological awareness and
enhanced government regulation has made some
conventional wastewater treatment systems
questionable. To fill the gap left by less than
adequate conventional technologies, GTs are
tested, vetted and implemented as clean
alternatives for wastewater treatment purposes.
Several steps are basically employed during
any wastewater treatment process.  The first
consists of separating the solids from the liquid
water. This is achieved through gravity as solids
are heavier than the liquid water. Other solid
components like oils and woods which are less
dense than liquid water could be removed from the
water surface through separation. Afterward, the
liquid wastewater is subjected to filtration
processes to dispose of any colloidal suspensions
of fine solids, chemicals particulates, and
impurities. The resulting filtered water is finally
exposed to oxidation to reduce or eliminate the

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Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology 2020-21

 Membrane bio-reactor temperature and water composition play key roles

The number of MBR technology applications
for municipal wastewater treatment has grown
enormously during the last decade. These systems
have several environmental advantages with
respect to conventional activated sludge process
recently, it has been demonstrated that they
improve at higher extent effluent estrogenicity
abatement, even though this positive effect may
not be predicted based on trace pollutant
concentrations, being for many substances
similar to those obtained by conventional process.
On the other hand, higher environmental costs,
mainly due to membrane fabrication/installation
and energy consumption for plant operation,
have to be carefully evaluated in order to
assess if MBR can be considered to be a
green technology. Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR)
is the acronym for water and wastewater treatment
processes which integrates a biological process
with a membrane separation step. In general,
membrane filtration is aimed at retaining
biomass and other suspended materials so as to
produce a clarified and disinfected permeate.
Factors for which MBR may be considered a
green technology are directly related to reduced
environmental impact achievable by means of
this technology.
. and mercury, among others.
in the performance of the biofilm, and thus the
quality of the resulting treated wastewaters.
Although commonly used for treatment of
domestic wastewater, this type of is also finding
application for removal of heavy metals from
industrial wastewaters. 
 Bioremediation
A bioremediation process employs living
microorganisms to remove and
neutralize pollutants and hazardous species from
contaminated wastewater sites to yield less toxic or
nontoxic materials. The process can either be
performed in-situ or ex-situ.Living
microorganisms are directly added to contaminated
sites during in-situ remediation processes, and
contaminated sites are treated elsewhere during ex-
situ remediation.
In general, when it comes to treatment of
contaminants and hazardous species, living
microorganisms, however, have their limitation as
not all contaminants are cleaned through
bioremediation or biofiltration. Examples include
heavy metals like copper, nickel, cadmium, lead,

 Biofiltration

In biofiltration, some selected species of bacteria

and microorganisms are grown on a biofilter to
form a biofilm. The wastewater is then passed
through the biofilm either upflow or downflow and
in a continuous or discontinuous manner. During
this process, the immobilized living
microorganisms speed up the degradation of
organic matter and pollutants present in the
wastewater. Parameters like activity of the
microorganisms, age of the biofilm, oxygen levels,

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Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology
 Electrowinning
In electrowinning, a current is passed between two
electrodes (cathode and anode) immersed in an
electrolyte solution. Metals are then
electroextracted from their oxidized forms
(dissolved cations) to deposit on the cathode. Thus,
heavy metals including copper, nickel,
silver, gold, cadmium, bismuth, cobalt and others
can be recovered from wastewaters through
electrowinning.
Compared to conventional electrowinning where
electrolytes in the bath are slowly circulated or
entirely left stagnant, the AGT
‘emew electrowinning’ uses a strong circulating
flow of electrolyte. This significantly enhances the
diffusion of metal species to the cathode, resulting
in increased deposition rates and ability to recover
metals down to very low concentrations. The use
of emew electrowinning for wastewater treatment
thus increases the amounts of metal extracted to
yield cleaner water. The scheme below compares
the difference between conventional
electrowinning and emew electrowinning, as well
as the resulting efficiency of metal removal as a
function of time.
 Electrocoagulation
Similar to electrowinning, the electrocoagulation
AGT also uses an electric current to remove
contaminants from wastewaters. Cations generated
at the sacrificial anode set off physical and
chemical reactions that can be divided into three
successive stages:
2020-21
(1) by applying an electric current, hydrated
cations are produced at the sacrificial iron or
aluminum anode;
(2) the released cations neutralize the charges of
pollutant particles which become unstable forming
micro-flocculants;
(3) these destabilized particles begin to coagulate
as macroscopic flocs that can be easily separated
from the water.
The overall mechanism of this AGT is a
combination of ionization, electrolysis, hydrolysis,
and free-radical formation which modifies not only
the physical but also chemical properties of the
wastewater resulting in a net removal of pollutant
species and production of a clear treated water
suitable for discharge.
Some advantages of GTs
in wastewater treatment
In addition to their environmentally-friendly
aspect, advanced green technologies have many
other advantages over the conventional
technologies in wastewater treatment.
For example, biofilters are less susceptible by
changes or intermittent loading to hydraulic shock,
a prerequisite for industrial wastewater treatment
plants. Also, their operational costs are often lower
than those of other methods such as activated
sludge.
Bioremediation methods are also advantageous in
terms of cost effectiveness because they can be
utilized without excavation, incineration, or need
for cleaning strategies like "pump and treat" used
for groundwater remediation. For instance,
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Use of Green Technology in Separation Technology 2020-21

contaminated groundwater with hydrocarbon spills

or chlorinated solvents might be treated by adding
microorganisms to reduce or eliminate levels of
undesirable contaminants.
More importantly, advanced green technologies
often break down contaminants to the molecular
level instead of storage or chemical dispersion.
Other methods, such as biosulphide precipitation
and electrowinning can produce salable products
from waste to offset the cost, while
electrocoagulation can produce clear, colorless,
odorless water suitable for discharge.

Reference
Lofrano, Green Technologies for Wastewater
Treatment, SpringerBriefs in Green Chemistry
for Sustainability, 2012.

S. Chaudhary, S. Vigneswara, H. H. Ngo, W. G.

Shim, H. Moon, Biofilter in water and wastewater
treatment(PDF). The Korean Journal of Chemical
Engineering, 2013, 20:6.

H. Neoh,  Z. Z. Noor, N. S. A. Mutamim,  C. K.

Lim, Green technology in wastewater treatment
technologies: Integration of membrane bioreactor
with various wastewater treatment
systems, Chemical Engineering Journal,
2016, 283:582–594.

Isha Meshram
Fy. Mtech Chemical Engg