Membrane Ozonation in Wastewater Treatment

The utilization of porous membranes in mass transfer processes of gaseous ozone to water was investigated. With this approach a direct control of the interface between gas and liquid is possible. Furthermore it prevents foam formation in the presence of surfactant pollution, which constitutes a problem in conventional ozonation methods. Different organic and inorganic membrane materials and geometrical arrangements were utilized and ozone transfer under varied experimental conditions was determined. Typical transfer rates obtained in the experiments were 10 g ozone per membrane square meter and hour, but under optimized conditions higher values were possible. A theoretical model was successfully applied to the results obtained. A peculiarity of the method is its inherent ozone dose control in relation to the volume flow of water.