Today,
the Al2O3-supported catalyst in the
heterogeneous catalytic ozonation system attracts attention due to
its stable structure and relatively high surface activity. Herein,
Mn and Cu oxides loaded on γ-Al2O3 pellets
were prepared using an impregnation method to improve the removal
efficiency in a micropacked bed reactor (μPBR). The effects
of the initial pH, the ratio of O3 to chemical oxygen demand
(COD), and HO• scavenger on the catalytic performance were
investigated. Experimental results showed that the MnO2/γ-Al2O3 and CuO/γ-Al2O3 catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performance.
The COD removal efficiencies were 86.3% for CuO/Al2O3, 76.9% for MnO2/Al2O3, 71.6%
for Al2O3, and 35.8% for ozone alone within
71 s. Compared with those of batch reactors, the apparent degradation
rate constant of COD with prepared catalysts in a μPBR increased
by 2–3 orders of magnitude. In addition, the CuO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst maintained a relatively stable activity
in the continuous flow test for a long time (100 h). Finally, some
typical antibiotics were treated by catalytic ozonation in a μPBR.
The removal efficiencies of these antibiotics and COD reached approximately
100.0% and 62.9–87.8% within 71 s, respectively. Thus, the
continuous catalytic ozonation system with the CuO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst based on μPBRs could be a promising
pathway for the treatment of industrial wastewater with antibiotics.