Application of a Combined Adsorption−Ozonation Process for Phenolic Wastewater Treatment in a Continuous Fixed-Bed Reactor

Abstract

This work studied the removal of phenol from industrial effluents through catalytic ozonation in the presence of granular activated carbon in a continuous fixed-bed reactor. Phenol was chosen as model pollutant because of its environmental impact and high toxicity. Based on the evolution of total organic carbon (TOC) and phenol concentration, a kinetic model was proposed to study the effect of the operational variables on the combined adsorption–oxidation (Ad/Ox) process. The proposed three-phase model expressed the oxidation phenomena in the liquid and the adsorption and oxidation on the surface of the granular activated carbon in the form of two kinetic constants, k1 and k2 respectively. The interpretation of the constants allow to study the benefits and behaviour of the use of activated carbon during the ozonisation process under different conditions affecting adsorption, oxidation, and mass transfer. Additionally, the calculated kinetic parameters helped to explain the observed changes in treatment efficiency. The results showed that phenol would be completely removed at an effective contact time of 3.71 min, operating at an alkaline pH of 11.0 and an ozone gas concentration of 19.0 mg L−1. Under these conditions, a 97.0% decrease in the initial total organic carbon was observed.

O3 decomposition to O2 on surfaces of Silicon nanocage and Carbon nanocage as effective catalysts

“…Researchers demonstrated that the metal doped nanostructures and nano-compounds are increased and improved their catalytic activity and ability for adsorption of toxic gas molecules [23]. The metal doped on surfaces of nanostructures are catalytic positions and possible sites for adsorption of toxic gas molecules [24,25].…”

Combining α-Al2O3 Packing Material and a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonized Bubble Column Reactor to Increase the Phenol Degradation from Wastewater

“…All of these factors provide limited mass transfer in the liquid-phase reaction inside a BCR. Hence, it is necessary to identify the various superficial ozone gas velocities and evaluate their effect on the reactor's performance [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]. Therefore, the main objective of the present work is to enhance the ozonation reaction to attain a high phenol removal from the wastewater when using an ozonized packed BCR, as well as to evaluate the influence of the hydrodynamic behavior and packing material on the reactor's performance.…”