Optimization of ozone dosage in an ozone contact tank using a numerical model.

Ozone has been widely applied in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, and it is essential to determine the ozone dosage and its ratio in ozone contact tank to increase the ozone absorption and utilization rates. Batch experiments were performed to determine the first-order reaction rate coefficient of ozone (k1) in different raw water qualities. Results showed that k1 had an exponential decaying relationship with the ozone consumption amount (ΔO3). Based on the ozone mass transfer and decomposition kinetics, a numerical model was developed to optimize the total ozone dosage and its ratio in three aeration parts by calculating the ozone absorption and utilization rates in an ozone contact tank. The ozone absorption rate was little affected by the water quality, and an even distribution of ozone could greatly increase the ozone absorption rate. However, the ozone utilization rate was tightly related with the water quality. For waters that consumed ozone quickly, ozone should be dosed equally in three aeration parts to increase the ozone utilization rate up to 94.3%. Otherwise, more ozone should be dosed in the first aeration part. An increase in ozone utilization rate would induce an increase in the degree of water purification. This model could give theoretical support for the determination of ozone dosage and its ratio in water treatment plants rather than experience.

Characterization of haloacetaldehyde and trihalomethane formation potentials during drinking water treatment.

Haloacetaldehydes (HAs) are the third prevalent group of disinfection by-products (DBPs) of great health concern. In this study, their formation and speciation during chlorination were investigated for raw and process waters collected at three O3-biological activated carbon (BAC) advanced drinking water treatment plants. The results showed that all HA formation potentials (HAFPs) were highly enhanced whenever ozone was applied before or after conventional treatment. Sand filtration and BAC filtration could substantially reduce HAFPs. Trihalomethanes (THMs) were also measured to better understand the role of HAs in DBPs. Very different from HAFPs, THMFPs kept decreasing with the progress of treatment steps, which was mainly attributed to the different precursors for HAs and THMs. Brominated HAs were detected in bromide-containing waters. Chloral hydrate (CH) contributed from 25% to 48% to the total HAs formed in waters containing 100-150 µg L(-1) bromide, indicating the wide existence of other HAs after chlorination besides CH production. In addition, bromide incorporation factor (BIF) in HAs and THMs increased with the progress of treatment steps and the BIF values of THMs were generally higher than those of HAs. The BAC filtration following ozonation could significantly reduce HA precursors produced from ozonation but without complete removal. The brominated HAFPs in the outflow of BAC were still higher than their levels in the raw water. As a result, O3-BAC combined treatment was effective at controlling the total HAs, whereas it should be cautious for waters with high bromide levels.