Because of the growing world population, the impact on the environment is increasing as well as the need for drinking water. At the same time, the number of industrial plants and processes, that pollute the drinking water is growing. Many less developed countries where the industry is less technologically advanced and the legislation is inadequate are facing this problem, but it is all too common everywhere else as well. Phenols are among the common hazardous pollutants found in water sources. The latter can be found in the wastewater of many industries, such as pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, textiles, coke, resins, paints, and many others. Phenol and its compounds can seriously affect the health of various living things and with that of course, humans. Contact can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes. Prolonged exposure can lead to breathing problems, muscle pain, coma and even respiratory arrest if exposed to lethal doses. Prolonged exposure to excessive concentrations of phenols can also cause central nervous system, liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal problems. Because of their toxicity, it is therefore important to remove them from the water cycle to a sufficient extent. Over the years, various methods have been developed to remove phenols more or less efficiently, the main ones of which I will describe in more detail in my thesis. The aim of this thesis is to review the available literature in the field of removal of phenols and their compounds from wastewater, with a focus on industrial wastewater. The thesis will also include a more detailed description of the properties of phenol and a description and comparison of the different removal techniques.
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