Jyh-Herng Chen

Reduction of PCDDs/PCDFs in MSWI fly ash using microwave peroxide oxidation in H2SO4/HNO3 solution.

Microwave peroxide oxidation (MPO) is an energy-efficient and low GHG emission technology to destroy the hazardous organic compounds in solid waste. The objective of this paper is to explore the reduction feasibility of PCDDs/Fs in MSWI fly ash using the MPO in H2SO4/HNO3 solution. Nearly all PCDDs/Fs, 99% in the original fly ash, can be reduced in 120min at the temperature of 150°C using the MPO treatment. It was also found that a change occurred in the content distribution profiles of 17 major PCDD/F congeners before and after MPO treatment. This provides the potential to reduce the actual PCDDs/Fs content more than I-TEQ contents of PCDDs/Fs. The percentile distribution profile has a tendency of higher chlorinated PCDDs/Fs moving to the lower ones. It concludes that a significant reduction efficiency of I-TEQ toxicity was achieved and showed sufficient reduction of toxic level to lower than 1.0ngI-TEQ(gdw)(-1). The treatment temperature would be a critical factor facilitating the dissolution because higher temperature leads more inorganic salt (parts of fly ash) dissolution. Some problems caused by the MPO method are also delineated in this paper.

The Preozonation of Phenolic Aqueous Solution and Its Effect on the Improvement of Coagulation Treatment

Phenolic solutions are difficult to treat with coagulation processes because phenol is well soluble in water. However, with suitable preozonation, the ozonized organic components can be removed more effectively by coagulation processes. In order to avoid excessive preozonation, a good control on the degree of preozonation is crucial for practical applications. The degree of preozonation of phenolic solution was evaluated by measuring the phenol decomposition rate, ADMI value and ozone outlet concentration during the ozonation. Three characteristic times were observed, namely (1) ADMI value reaches the peak value during preozonation, (2) the ozone outlet concentration starts increasing, and (3) the ADMI value reaches the discharge standard (500 value, EPA Taiwan). These characteristic times provide the useful means as real-time control parameters on the extent of preozonation. The results of HPLC and GPC show that phenol is almost completely decomposed after 43 min of preozonation. The major components after preozonation are oxalic acid and coupling compounds. The preozonized solution, containing phenol decomposition products, was then subjected to coagulation treatments. The coagulation behavior of preozonized solution is dependent on the extent of preozonation. Three types of coagulant were investigated, namely alum, ferric chloride (FeCl3) and poly aluminum chloride (PAC). Both PAC and FeCl3 are effective coagulants for COD removal. As an example, phenol solution (initial phenol concentration=300 mg/L, C O 3,i=20 mg/L) was preozonized for 50 minutes, followed by FeCl3 coagulation treatment. After preozonation and coagulation processes, the total COD and ADMI removal rates are as high as 70% and 80%, respectively. Most of the coupling compounds and oxalic acid are removed by the coagulant.

Ozonation treatment of 2-nitrophenolic wastewater using a new gas-inducing reactor

Ozonation is a potential chemical process for the treatment of nitrophenolic wastewater. However, due to the low solubility and utilization rate of ozone, a conventional gas-inducing reactor for ozonation treatment has limited app-lication for treating phenolic wastewater. In this study, 2-nitrophenol wastewater ozonation was conducted in a new gas-inducing reactor that has been investigated in our laboratory over the past few years. The ozonation conducted in this reactor can be operated with a higher ozone utilization rate and lower power consumption than a conventional gas-liquid reactor. The ozone utilization rate increases with increasing pH value and can be maintained at over 95%. Kinetic studies show that a pseudo first-order reaction model derived from a two-film theory can describe the ozonation of 2-nitrophenol. Kinetic study of 2-nitrophenol ozonation shows that there are two stages in 2-nitrophenol ozonation. The observed rate constant in the second stage of 2-nitrophenol ozonation is higher than the first stage. A change in the 2-nitrophenol concentration is responsible for the change in the observed rate constant. Below pH 7, the oxidation rate of 2-nitrophenol increases with increasing pH and increasing ozone inlet concentration. This new gas-inducing reactor can improve the ozone utilization rate. The ozonation of 2-nitrophenol can be effectively conducted in this reactor.

The Effects of Preozonation on the Biodegradability of Phenolic Solutions Using a New Gas-Inducing Reactor

To achieve effective COD removal, the combination of preozonation with biological treatment is necessary for phenolic wastewater treatments. Preozonation of 4-cresol, 2-chlorophenol and 4-nitrophenol solutions can be carried out with high ozone utilization rate using a new gas-inducing reactor. During the preozonation, the phenolic compounds can be completely decomposed with 100% ozone utilization rate. This new gas-inducing reactor is beneficial for the preozonation of phenolic solutions, comparing with a conventional gas-liquid reactor. The BOD5 of preozonized phenolic solution is strongly related to both the degree of decomposition of phenolic compounds and the accumulation of intermediate products in aqueous solution. Based on the high ozone utilization rate, it is suggested that the optimal utilized ozone dose for 4-cresol, 2-chlorophenol and 4-nitrophenol can be chosen as 360, 350 and 400 mg/L, respectively. At those optimal utilized ozone doses, the ratio of BOD5/COD of preozonized 4-cresol, 2-chlorophenol and 4-nitrophenol solutions increase to 0.33, 0.26 and 0.33, respectively.

Scale-Up Study of Dye RB-19 Ozonation in a New Gas-Inducing Reactor

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to study the scale-up behavior of dye RB-19 ozonation in a new gas-inducing reactor, which has been used in the NTUST laboratory on various ozonation studies over the past few years. In this scale-up study, three geometrically similar gas-inducing reactors with different diameters (D t =0.17, 0.29, and 0.51m) were employed. Three common scale-up criteria (i.e., equal liquid surface motion, equal specific power consumption, and equal impeller tip velocity) were investigated in this research. Under the equal liquid surface motion criterion, the scale-up exponent value and constant K of the modified onset Froude number were determined to be 0.5 and 0.61, respectively. The equal specific power consumption criterion was studied under gas input condition and the scale-up exponent was found to be 0.65. The regression equation for the power number of the three different scale reactors was also obtained. The scale-up exponent of equal impeller tip velocity was determined by theory to be 1.0. The scale-up investigation of dye RB-19 ozonation was then carried out in reactors with three different diameters under the same operating conditions (e.g., initial dye concentration, initial dye/ozone molar ratio, superficial gas velocity, temperature and pH value). From the experimental results, the best-fit scale-up exponent was found to be 1.18, resulting in same dye removal rate in reactors with different diameters. The enhancement factors and chemical ozone mass transfer coefficients were also obtained for these sets of ozonation experiments.