Chloroaromatic compounds have low aqueous solubility, and this demands the use of a co-solvent (e.g.,
methanol) or the use of surfaetant media to enhance solubility. Little work has yet been done on the removal of
the reaction products from the non-aqueous phase and the methodology and cost of recovering the surfactants. 43
Not only are high concentrations of surfactants toxic towards microorganisms during subsequent biological
oxidation, but without recovery and recycle of the surfactant the technology would unlikely be economic.
As shown in this brief review, recent years have seen many innovative approaches to making
electrochemical treatment of organochlorine wastes a practical possibility. There is now a sufficient knowledge
base to permit careful evaluation of the future of this technology along the lines just indicated.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support through
the Strategic Grants Program.