Optimization of ozone bleaching conditions for improving wheat straw pulp quality using response surface methodology

Ozone bleaching conditions for wheat straw soda pulp were optimized using response surface methodology with central composite design. Effect of pH, consistency, and ozone dose on kappa number, brightness, and viscosity was investigated. Optimized process conditions to get minimum kappa number, maximum viscosity, and brightness were obtained as follows: pH 2.08–2.25, pulp consistency 27.4–30.0%, and ozone dose 0.4%. Validation of the model predicted values and experimental values obtained for optimum conditions has the difference of 0.5–2.0%, which shows that the developed model for ozone bleaching of wheat straw pulp is satisfactory.     

Design and Implementation of Fuel Cell and Photovoltaic Panel-Supported Ozonation System

It is normal for a produced agricultural product or food to be transported to distances far from where it is produced. However, it is important to keep the product fresh in this transportation. There are many methods used to extend the life of the food during transport. The chemical method is the most used. However, the chemical method is harmful to human health. One of the methods used for storing, preserving and transporting agricultural products is ozonation and air conditioning. In this study, a system was designed to extend the life of the product in the storage and transport of food products. With the developed system, temperature, relative humidity and ozone were produced and their amounts were controlled according to the type of product being carried. In the design, polymer exchange membrane fuel cell was used for the required oxygen. The energy requirement of the system was provided by a photovoltaic panel to get rid of the generator dependency on supplied electrical power. The applicability of the system to refrigerated vehicles, especially those used in food transportation, was examined.     

Dissolved Ozone Decomposition in Presence of Activated Carbon at Low pH: How Experimental Parameters Affect Observed Kinetics of the Process

Plenty of controversies have recently surrounded the mechanism and kinetics of ozone decomposition process in presence of activated carbon. We have decided to study and explain the source of these controversies, or at least identify it correctly. Several series of experiments were conducted and various parameters (activated carbon amount and grain size, initial ozone concentration, agitation speed) were modified over their course. It was found that widely accepted (pseudo)first-order kinetics cannot explain some observations, and the best fitting was found for half-order kinetics. Ozone decomposition mechanism explaining these results was proposed.     

Postharvest Ozone Treatment of Cucumber as a Method for Prolonging the Suitability of the Fruit for Processing

Ground cucumber, as a nutrient, is a product highly valued by consumers in both fresh and processed form. The aim of the research was to develop a technology for extending the shelf life of ground cucumbers stored at room temperature before further processing. For this purpose, ozone treatment was utilized and the changes in the mesocarp and the peel puncture strength of the ozonated and the control cucumbers during storage were measured. Ozonation extended the shelf life of ground cucumber fruit making them useful for longer time for further processing.     

Medium frequency pulse train ozone generation

In this paper an ozone generation system that uses square bipolar pulses at 1900 Hz frequency (carrier signal) modulated with low frequency square wave is presented. The optimization of the carrier was done by sweeping the frequency from 500 to 2400 Hz and the duty cycle from 20 to 100 %, obtaining the best results at 1900 Hz and 80 % respectively. The experiment was done using a corona discharge generator with glass dielectric, 2 mm gap, water‐cooling at 26 °C and oxygen as the feed gas. Different levels of ozone production were obtained by changing the duty cycle of the modulator signal. The modulator signal works on a discrete way with whole numbers of pulses. The priority of the pulse polarity can be set so the beginning of the pulses may be either positive or negative. A dead time between pulse trains is always present with a minimum value of 10% of the modulator signal. The dead time contributes to the generator cooling because no energy is applied.

A comparative study between the proposed system and a 60 Hz traditional source generator shows an increase in the ozone concentration and ozone production rate, as well as a reduction of the voltage required to produce the corona discharge by using a pulse train at medium frequency.     

Ozonation,Ozone/UV and UV/H2O2 Degradation of Chlorophenols

The performance of the O₃, O₃/UV and UV/H₂O₂ processes for degradation of six chlorophenols (4-chlorophenol, 2-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) were studied in laboratory reactors. Comparative study showed that chlorophenols can be degraded successfully by all of the methods studied, whilst traditional ozonation at high pH was determined to be the most effective method to treat chlorophenols. Even though the molar absorptivity of chlorophenols is known to be relatively high in the UV-region, the combination of UV-radiation with ozone did not accelerate the degradation of chlorophenols further. The toxicity of degradation products formed during ozonation of chlorophenols has been compared with the toxicity of pure chlorophenols utilizing Daphnia magna 24 hours test. Ozonation of chlorophenols yielded less toxic or even nontoxic products for Daphnia magna compared with parent compounds.     

Effects of Ozonation on AOC Content of Humic Finnish Groundwater

The effects of ozonation on assimilable organic carbon (AOC) content of humic groundwater were investigated in batch experiments on three different groundwaters used as drinking water in Finland. All water samples had quite high concentrations of iron (range 2–10 mg/L) and manganese (range 0.1–0.2 mg/L) and therefore combined ozonation and filtration is a possible water purification method. The ozone dosage used varied from 0 to 16.6 mgO₃/L (ΔO₃/TOC?=?0–1.6). The ozone treatment increased the AOC concentration in the groundwater samples to different degrees. For example, an ozone dose of 3.9 mg/L increased the AOC concentration in different water as follows: from 49 μg/L to 55/L, from 7 μg/L to 119 μg/L and from 23 μg/L to 226 μg/L.     

Assessment of Microwave/UV/O<Subscript>3</Subscript> in the Photo-Catalytic Degradation of Bromothymol Blue in Aqueous Nano TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Particles Dispersions

In this study, a microwave/UV/TiO₂/ozone/H₂O₂ hybrid process system, in which various techniques that have been used for water treatment are combined, is evaluated to develop an advanced technology to treat non-biodegradable water pollutants efficiently. In particular, the objective of this study is to develop a novel advanced oxidation process that overcomes the limitations of existing single-process water treatment methods by adding microwave irradiation to maximize the formation of active intermediate products, e.g., OH radicals, with the aid of UV irradiation by microwave discharge electrodeless lamp, photo-catalysts, and auxiliary oxidants. The results of photo-catalytic degradation of BTB showed that the decomposition rate increased with the TiO₂ particle dosages and microwave intensity. When an auxiliary oxidant such as ozone or hydrogen peroxide was added to the microwave-assisted photo-catalysis, however, a synergy effect that enhanced the reaction rate considerably was observed.     

Ultraviolet-Enhanced Ozonation of Organic Compounds: 1,2-Dichloroethane and Trichloroethylene as Model Substrates

1,2–Dichloroethane (DCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) were used as model compounds to study the oxidation of organic chemicals by ozone/ultraviolet radiation, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide/ultraviolet radiation. It was found that ozone/ultraviolet radiation oxidized both 1,2–dichloroethane and trichloroethylene in batch systems, at pH = 2 (phosphate buffer). At ozone concentrations in the 1 to 5 mg/L range, the reaction was first order in both ozone and substrate. At pH = 2 and initial ozone concentration 2.2–2.6 mg/L, rate constants (k)Q = 25 and 130 M^-1sec^-1 were observed for the ozone/ultraviolet radiation oxidation of DCE and TCE, respectively. The rat e constants for ozone oxidation of DCE and TCE without ultraviolet radiation were 4.3 and 47 M^-1sec^-1, respectively.

The higher rate of TCE oxidation implies that direct reaction occurs with the double bond. Finite reaction rate of DCE with ozone, and substantial increases in rate at higher pH imply the participatation of hydroxyl radicals in the oxidation of both compounds. For example, at pH = 7, initial ozone concentration of 2.3 mg/L, the k_o for TCE oxidation by ozone/ultraviolet radiation is approximately 500 M^?1 sec^?1 almost too fast to measure in a batch system.The rate also is increased by increased ultraviolet radiation intensity, and by the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which acts as a catalyst.     

Oxidation of Organic Pollutants of Water to Mineralization by Catalytic Ozonation

The oxidation of various organic compounds in aqueous solution was studied using catalytic ozonation (TOCCATA process) and conventional ozonation. The aim of the work is to assess catalytic ozonation efficiency for the mineralization of various organic compounds in order to envisage its application on real effluents. The selected organic compounds (about 30) are commonly found in industrial wastewaters. Comparative experiments were performed in batch mode at laboratory scale. Investigations were focused on ozone consumption rate, variations of total organic carbon, oxidation by-products and oxidation rate. Catalytic and conventional ozonation treatments were compared considering kinetic data, mineralization extent, and effect of organic functionalities. Catalytic ozonation system according to the TOCCATA process was able to convert organic compounds which were totally inert to ozone treatment and permitted considerably enhanced reaction rates when compounds were reactive to ozonation.