Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): Sources, Types, Impacts, and Their Remediation

Persistent organic pollutants are of greater concern due to their toxic, persistent, carcinogenic, lipophilic nature, ability of long-range transport, and bioaccumulation in food chain. These organic pollutants include organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dechlorane plus (DP), etc. Such pollutant’s exposure results in negative ecological impacts along with many human health problems including neurological, immunological, and reproductive disorders. These pollutants are reported to significantly resist the conventional treatment methods including filtration, use of flocculants, coagulation, or chemical treatment such as chlorination. Therefore, various efficient removal methods and technologies are being analyzed and applied to remove these toxic pollutants from different environmental compartments such as water, wastewater, and soil. Methods including bioremediation, reverse osmosis, adsorption process, membrane technology, and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are documented to efficiently remove these recalcitrant contaminants. However, removal potential, economic, and technical feasibilities are important considerations for selection of prime treatment method. This chapter provides an outlook of various persistent organic pollutants, their sources, ecological impacts, and treatment methods used for their removal.