A large number of chemical compounds found in household products are known or suspected to be endocrine disruptor and it is alarming that recent years saw their increasing occurrence in both sewage and source waters. This is particularly disturbing as it has been proven that conventional wastewater and water treatment processes are ineffective in treating these compounds. This work investigates an alternate technology that combines the three most effective processes for EDC treatment that include ozonation, adsorption and membrane separation in a single compact unit. The advanced ozone membrane reactor (AOMR) uses membranes for ozone distribution, reaction contactor and water separator to maximize EDC conversion and ozone utilization. Adsorbent was employed to trap the EDC and its byproduct in the reaction zone to achieve deeper oxidation. The use of catalyst and in particular Fe/C catalysts in a catalytic ozone membrane reactor (COMR) to speed up the reaction was also investigated. Both AOMR and COMR can achieve complete conversions of diclofenac sodium, caffeine and phthalates within 5 min residence time, but COMR can achieve a higher TOC removal of 70 % compared to AOMR (40 %).

Catalytic ozone membrane reactor for treatment of EDCs in water

249th National Meeting (2015)

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