Ozonation dynamics and its implication for off-gas ozone control in treating pulp mill wastewaters

Ozonation of biologically pretreated pulp mill wastewaters was studied using both bench and pilot scale fine bubble contactors to determine the oxidation efficiencies, mass transfer coefficients (k(L)a) and enhancement factors (E) due to the occurrence of chemical reactions. A sensitivity analysis based on the measured process parameters was then used to reveal the interrelated effects of key factors on off-gas ozone concentrations. It was shown that the removal efficiencies of color and AOX were simply related to the amount of utilized ozone, regardless of variation of other operating conditions. Furthermore, the rate of absorption fell within the fast or instantaneous kinetics regimes due to the occurrence of rapid chemical reactions. The Ek(L)a values were found to vary substantially during the course of ozonation, indicating that the enhancement factors were not only affected not only by operating conditions but also by wastewater characteristics. To effectively control the off-gas ozone emission, measures should be taken to minimize the backmixing, use a counter-current flow arrangement and provide adequate contact time.