Advanced Oxidation Process

The objective of this study was to investigate the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with hydrocarbon oil. Three different oil-contaminated wastewaters were examined and compared: (i) a ‘real’ hydrocarbon wastewater collected from an oil refinery (Conoco-Phillips Whitegate refinery, County Cork, Ireland); (ii) a ‘real’ hydrocarbon wastewater collected from a car-wash facility located at a petroleum filling station; and (iii) a ‘synthetic’ hydrocarbon wastewater generated by emulsifying diesel oil and water. The AOPs investigated were Fe2+/H2O2 (Fenton's reagent), Fe2+/H2O2/UV (Photo-Fenton's reagent) which may be used as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, conventional treatment techniques. Laboratory-scale batch and continuous-flow experiments were undertaken. The photo-Fenton parametric concentrations to maximize COD removal were optimized: pH = 3, H2O2 = 400 mg/L, and Fe2+ = 40 mg/L. In the case of the oil-refinery wastewater, photo-Fenton treatment achieved approximately 50% COD removal and, when preceded by physicochemical treatment, the percentage removal increased to approximately 75%.

The simultaneous use of Fenton reagent and irradiation for the treatment of textile wastewaters generated during a hydrogen peroxide bleaching process is investigated. The experimental conditions tested during this study provide the simultaneous occurrence of Fenton, Fenton-like and photo-Fenton reactions. The batch experimental results are assessed in terms of total organic carbon reduction. Identification of some of the chemical constituents of the effluent was performed by means of GC-MS. Other pollution related features of the initial effluent-like COD and color were also measured. The main parameters that govern the complex reactive system, i.e., light intensity, temperature, pH, Fe(II) and H2O2 initial concentrations have been studied. Concentrations of Fe(II) between 0 and 400 ppm, and H2O2 between 0 and 10,000 ppm were used. Temperatures above 25 degrees C and up to 70 degrees C show a beneficial effect on organic load reduction. A set of experiments was conducted under diff...

The use of numerical models for the design and optimization of UV/H2O2 systems must incorporate both reactor design (hydrodynamics, lamp orientation) and chemical kinetics (reaction mechanisms, kinetic rate constants). This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of comprehensive CFD/UV/AOP models for the degradation of an indicator organic contaminant. The combination of turbulence sub-models, fluence rate sub-models, and kinetic rate equations resulted in a comprehensive and flexible design tool for predicting the effluent chemical composition from a UV-initiated AOP reactor. The CFD model tended to under predict the percent removal of methylene blue compared to pilot reactor trials under the same operating conditions. In addition, the percent difference between the pilot and the CFD results increased with increasing flow rates. The MSSS fluence rate sub-model predicted higher contaminant removal values than the RAD-LSI sub-model while the different two-equation turbulence sub-models did not significantly impact the predicted removal for methylene blue in the tested reactor configuration. The overall degradation of methylene blue was a strong function of the second-order kinetic rate constant describing the reaction between methylene blue and the hydroxyl radical. In addition, the removal of methylene blue was sensitive to the concentration of dissolved organic carbon in the water matrix since DOC acts as a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals.

A key element in the Aquarec project is the development of a water treatment matrix in which wastewater treatment process schemes are categorized as a function of the raw wastewater quality and the reuse application. Starting point is the definition of reuse applications; municipal wastewater can be reused for an industrial, a domestic, a natural, and an agricultural purpose. Next step in building the treatment matrix is the construction of treatment trains. With existing primary, secondary and tertiary unit process operations numerous different treatment trains can be constructed. The EU directives discharge limits should be the starting point for further treatment of municipal wastewater for reuse. Therefore effluent will be the main primary source for wastewater reclamation in the short term. Based on this conclusion a set of typical or standard schemes was developed. The typical or standard schemes are illustrated by case studies. In the long term, schemes alternative to the traditional chain can become feasible options. One of the innovations is direct membrane filtration of raw wastewater. Other innovating technologies are advanced oxidation processes. The latter become more and more important since substances such as pesticides, endocrine disrupters, etc. are given priority.

Batch experiments were carried out for the removal of cyanide in the effluent of plating industry by the application of advanced oxidation processes. Four systems with different modes of oxidation in combination of ultra violet (UV) light with hydrogen peroxide and/or ozone were investigated. Of all the applied systems, UV-light with two oxidants, i.e. O3 (32 mg min(-1)), and H2O2 (1.36 g l(-1)) was found successful in bringing down the amount of cyanide from 157.32 mg l(-1) to 1.0 mg l(-1), which is the limit set by the Ministry of Environment of Korea for cyanide-containing discharges. Other systems, however, could not bring the cyanide abatement to the targeted value even with higher dosage of oxidants and an extended period of reaction time. Regardless of the oxidation modes applied, all the heavy metal ions in the treated effluent were reduced to 90%. Ultra violet light with the combination of two oxidants had the economic preference over the other systems since a relatively lower dosage of UV-light (2484 W-S cm(-2)) was found effective at achieving the targeted level of cyanide removal.

The protection and conservation of natural resources is one of the main priorities of modern society. Water is perhaps our most valuable resource, and thus should be recycled. Many of the current recycling techniques for polluted water only concentrate the pollutant without degrading it or eliminating it. In this sense, advanced oxidation processes are possibly one of the most effective methods for the treatment of wastewater containing organic products (effluents from chemical and agrochemical industries, the textile industry, paints, dyes, etc.). More conventional techniques cannot be used to treat such compounds because of their high chemical stability and/or low biodegradability. This article describes, classifies, and analyzes different types of advanced oxidation processes and their application to the treatment of polluted wastewater.