Adsorption and catalytic oxidation of phenol in a new ozone reactor

Phenolic wastewater treatment in a new ozone reactor was investigated. The reactor was designed in such a fashion that gas induction was created in the reactor headspace by the high-speed action of an impeller turbine inside a draft tube to maximize the ozone utilization. Another important feature of the present reactor design was incorporation of granular activated carbon bed in a circular compartment between the reactor wall and the shaft tube. The fixed granular activated carbon bed was observed to significantly enhance the phenol decomposition and the chemical oxygen demand removal when compared to gas-induced ozonation alone, providing evidence of the synergistic effects of adsorption, catalytic reaction and ozonation. In addition to the enhanced phenol decomposition and chemical oxygen demand, ozonation was found to provide in-situ regeneration of granular activated carbon which was considered crucial in the present reaction system. Kinetic investigations were also made using a proposed complex kinetic model in an attempt to elucidate the possible decomposition reaction mechanisms of the present gas-induced ozonation system.