Control of disinfection by-product formation using ozone-based advanced oxidation processes

The effects of ozone dosage, water temperature and catalyst addition in an ozonation-fluidized bed reactor (O3/FBR) on treated water quality and on the control of chlorinated and ozonated disinfection by-products (DBPs) were investigated. A biofiltration column was used to evaluate its removal efficiency on biodegradable organic matter and to reduce DBP formation. The Dong-Gang River, polluted by agricultural and domestic wastewater in Pingtung, Taiwan, was used as the water source. The treated water quality in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biodegradable DOC, ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) and specific UV absorbance (SUVA) improved with increasing ozone and catalyst dosages. Catalytic ozonation was more effective than ozonation alone at reducing the formation of DBPs at a given dosage. Experimental results show that water temperature had little effect on the treated water quality with the O3/FBR system used in this study (p > 0.05). The combination of O3/FBR and the biofiltration process effectively decreased the amount ofDBP precursors. The concentration of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) was less than the maximum contaminant level (MCL) requirement, which is 80 microg/L, for all treated waters and the concentration of five haloacetic acids (HAA5) fell below 60 microg/L with an ozone dosage higher than 2.5 mg/L.