Ozonation and catalytic ozonation - Sources of error. What do we need to know?

Due to the increasing contamination of the environment, including water pollution by numerous emerging contaminants, there is a growing interest in advanced water purification/treatment processes. A technique of particular and growing interest over the years is ozonation in its broadest sense. It is a complex process, and its course, both in the version without and with the participation of a catalyst, depends on a number of factors that can affect its efficiency and the correct interpretation of the obtained results. The paper discusses the importance of the most relevant of these factors: ozone initiation and decomposition, proper catalyst preparation, potential sources enhancing the ozonation process (H₂O₂ and 1O₂), the influence of commonly used buffers and natural water admixtures, and the importance of adsorption processes. The paper also explains how the structure of the ozonated compound can affect its oxidation efficiency and identifies the most common sources of errors having the influence on the interpretation of experimental data.