Although the literature mainly reports on the inactivation of bacteria by various electrochemical disinfectants, the impact of process variables and reactor design on bactericidal performance is not fully understood. This review concentrates on recent achievements of electrocoagulation (EC) and electrooxidation (EO) in killing pathogens such as
Escherichia coli. Lynn
et al.
[1] [2] showed that in addition to EC alone, EC-EO enhanced
E. coli reduction only after pH adjustment. They proposed that additional process optimization may lead to further improvements, such as adjusting the iron dosage for natural organic matter (NOM) removal, which would limit the effectiveness of oxidant scavengers. Additionally, more efficient filtration techniques (e.g., granular filtration) will reduce NOM and total iron content in the EO feedwater, decreasing the need for oxidants. Furthermore, continuous EC-EO treatment requires more elevated EO current densities to improve
E. coli removal. Investigating the pathways of demobilizing
E. coli in drinking water at high iron concentrations in the EO range will also provide deep insights into ongoing setup design. This review provides crucial, reliable, safe, and versatile alternatives to the widespread trouble of human drinking water pollution. Using and propagating the EC-EO technique will diminish health risks related to water quality, economic burden, lost labor time, import washout to the national economy, and natural resource management. Commercial-scale deployment of EC-EO technology will undoubtedly increase the socioeconomic burden on local communities via secured water supply and result in a reduction in government health expenditures.