A powerful oxidant with a fast reaction time, no added chemicals, and reduced disinfection by-products, ozone is an appealing and growing option for water and wastewater treatment in industrial settings. The advanced oxidation process (AOP) in Capital Controls ozone generation systems removes contaminants in water and wastewater by oxidation through reactions with highly reactive hydroxyl radicals. This chemical process uses ozone (O3), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and/or ultraviolet (UV) light.
AOP has the capability of reducing the concentration of contaminants from several hundred ppm to less than 5 ppb. By using the strongest oxidants, AOP can efficiently oxidize essentially any contaminant in water at a diffusion-controlled reaction speed. Contaminants are rapidly converted into tiny inorganic molecules.
Due to its high oxidative capability, AOP can reduce even the most difficult organic and inorganic contaminants. The contaminant materials are converted into stable inorganic compounds, such as water, carbon dioxide, and salts. Sometimes AOP is the only option when traditional biological processes are ineffective.
AOP can effectively reduce biologically toxic or non-degradable contaminants, such as aromatics, pesticides, petroleum constituents, and volatile organic compounds. After undergoing AOP, cleaned wastewater can be reintroduced into streams or sewage treatment. AOP can be added to an existing traditional water treatment system to meet changing regulations without redesigning a completely new system.
When ozone is used in the AOP, the strongest oxidants that can be applied in water reduce contaminants with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) or non-biodegradable molecules. Ozone has the unique ability to efficiently treat groundwater polluted by metals, such as iron, manganese, as well as hydrogen sulfide (H2S). A significant advantage of ozone is that the ultraviolet transmittance (UVT) of the water is irrelevant for ozone treatment; ozone is effective even when the UVT is very low.
