Electrochemical disinfection for human health protection: Disinfection mechanisms, system innovations, applications

Disinfection is a necessary treatment to kill harmful pathogens and protect public health from infectious diseases, and it is essential for human survival. Compared to traditional physical and chemical disinfection methods, electrochemical disinfection has gained much attention due to its effectiveness, low cost, and cleanliness. In this review, the mechanisms of direct action, indirect action and the combination of the two in electrochemical disinfection are described to compare the treatment effects. Then, the disinfection efficiency enhancement caused by the innovation of reaction system design for electrode materials, reactors, electrodes, devices, and operating conditions is presented to provide a reference for practical applications. After that, electrochemical disinfection was introduced in three aspects: disinfection of sewage, disinfection of water for use, and disinfection of electrolyzed water. Examples were given to illustrate its wide range of application areas. Finally, we provide some outlook on the field in both research and the application of electrochemical disinfection systems, hoping to give some inspiration and help readers and future researchers contribute to human health.