Separation of phenolic compounds from fruit processing wastewater using liquid membrane technology: A short review

Abstract

Phenolic compounds are components of secondary metabolites primarily present in fruits, vegetables and grains. These compounds have gained significant attention from the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries due to their antioxidant properties, which can provide health benefits to humans. Phenolic compounds can be extracted from natural or secondary sources. Nevertheless, the global focus on sustainability has led industries to consider the recovery of phenolic compounds from secondary sources, such as fruit processing wastewater. Various technologies have been proposed and tested for the removal of phenolic compounds, including solvent extraction, adsorption, distillation, and others. However, the aforementioned methods required additional post-treatment in order to recover phenolic compounds. Liquid membrane (LM) technology has emerged as a highly efficient method for removing and recovering of phenolic compounds from various sources of feed phase due to its simultaneous removal and recovery process, simple operation, low chemical, and energy consumption. The purpose of this short review is to highlight the potential application of LM technology by assessing its effectiveness in the separation of phenolic compounds from fruit processing wastewater. By utilizing LM technology, it is possible to efficiently remove and recover phenolic compounds from fruit processing wastewater, thereby reducing environmental pollution, and enabling sustainable production of these valuable compounds.