Recovery of phenolic-based compounds from agro-food wastewaters through pressure-driven membrane technologies

The goal of this chapter is to provide a critical overview of the most relevant applications of pressure-driven membrane operations for the recovery of phenolic-based compounds from agro-food wastewaters in the light of recent studies carried out on both laboratory and pilot scale. Case studies referred to the implementation of multistage pressure-driven membrane processes in selected areas of the agro-food production are analyzed and discussed. The proposed purification schemes provide a clear outlook on the potential of these systems towards a sustainable industrial growth within the logic of a process intensification strategy and a zero discharge approach.