Recent advances in membrane and electrochemical hybrid technologies for emerging contaminants removal

Emerging contaminants (ECs) pose significant risks to environmental and human health, necessitating advanced treatment technologies. Integrating electrochemical processes with membrane filtration has emerged as a promising solution for preventing the leakage of various ECs in water and wastewater treatment. This review critically evaluates recent applications of hybrid membrane and electrochemical technologies for EC removal, systematically examining various configurations such as two-stage processes, one-pot systems with reactive electrochemical membranes, and electrochemical membrane bioreactors (EMBRs). The review highlights their working mechanisms, performance, and energy efficiencies in removing ECs. It analyzes the potentials and challenges of each hybrid configuration: two-stage processes, while easily integrated into existing systems, face energy efficiency limitations; one-pot systems offer promise in enhancing energy efficiency and membrane self-cleaning but need further research for scalability and long-term effectiveness; and EMBRs, which integrate physical, chemical, and biological processes, require additional studies to optimize performance and address complex interactions. Future research should also focus on understanding the degradation mechanisms and toxicity pathways of ECs, as well as on developing cost-effective and scalable membrane-electrochemical hybrid technologies for newly identified contaminants.