A bibliometric study of the Fenton oxidation for soil and water remediation

Abstract

Fenton based treatments have received tremendous attention in the recent decades as viable strategies for soil and water remediation. There exist different processes associated to the Fenton oxidation. Efficiency, reaction chemistry, and environmental consequences of these processes vary according to the iron (Fe) activation techniques such as soluble Fe(II) (homogeneous Fenton process), soluble Fe(II) and chelating agent (modified-Fenton), Fe minerals or solids (heterogeneous Fenton), iron and UV light (photo-Fenton) and electro-Fenton oxidation. Despite immense amount of research articles and reviews related to the Fenton oxidation, no bibliometric study of this topic has been published to our knowledge. Bibliometric studies provide a useful means to track research output and scholarly trends in a field. Here, we conducted a bibliometric study of the publications on this theme (>4000 documents) published during the past three decades available from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) database of the Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics). Based on the bibliometric analysis of 4349 documents, various essential research indicators were described such as the type and language of publications, the most prominent authors in this theme, the most impactful articles, research categories, journals, institutions, and the countries, that have made the greatest contribution to this theme along with potential research hotspots. This bibliometric study allowed visualization of the current landscape and future trends in this field to facilitate the future collaborative research and exchange of knowledge.

Keywords: Advanced oxidation processes; Bibliometrics; Fenton oxidation; Soil remediation; Wastewater treatment; Water treatment.