Organic Contaminant Abatement in Reclaimed Water by UV/H2O2 and a Combined Process Consisting of O3/H2O2 Followed by UV/H2O2: Prediction of Abatement Efficiency, Energy Consumption, and Byproduct Formation

Authors

Y Lee, Gwangju Institute of Science and TechnologyFollow
Daniel Gerrity, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
M Lee, École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneFollow
S Gamage, Southern Nevada Water AuthorityFollow
A Pisarenko, Southern Nevada Water AuthorityFollow
R A. Trenholm, Southern Nevada Water AuthorityFollow
S Canonica, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
S A. Snyder, University of ArizonaFollow
U Von Gunten, École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Publication Title

Environmental Science and Technology

Volume

50

Issue

7

First page number:

3809

Last page number:

3819

Abstract

UV/H2O2 processes can be applied to improve the quality of effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants by attenuating trace organic contaminants (micropollutants). This study presents a kinetic model based on UV photolysis parameters, including UV absorption rate and quantum yield, and hydroxyl radical (·OH) oxidation parameters, including second-order rate constants for ·OH reactions and steady-state ·OH concentrations, that can be used to predict micropollutant abatement in wastewater. The UV/H2O2 kinetic model successfully predicted the abatement efficiencies of 16 target micropollutants in bench-scale UV and UV/H2O2 experiments in 10 secondary wastewater effluents. The model was then used to calculate the electric energies required to achieve specific levels of micropollutant abatement in several advanced wastewater treatment scenarios using various combinations of ozone, UV, and H2O2. UV/H2O2 is more energy-intensive than ozonation for abatement of most micropollutants. Nevertheless, UV/H2O2 is not limited by the formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and bromate whereas ozonation may produce significant concentrations of these oxidation byproducts, as observed in some of the tested wastewater effluents. The combined process of O3/H2O2 followed by UV/H2O2, which may be warranted in some potable reuse applications, can achieve superior micropollutant abatement with reduced energy consumption compared to UV/H2O2 and reduced oxidation byproduct formation (i.e., NDMA and/or bromate) compared to conventional ozonation. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Language

English

Repository Citation

Lee, Y., Gerrity, D., Lee, M., Gamage, S., Pisarenko, A., Trenholm, R. A., Canonica, S., Snyder, S. A., Von Gunten, U. (2016). Organic Contaminant Abatement in Reclaimed Water by UV/H2O2 and a Combined Process Consisting of O3/H2O2 Followed by UV/H2O2: Prediction of Abatement Efficiency, Energy Consumption, and Byproduct Formation. Environmental Science and Technology, 50(7), 3809-3819.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b04904