Effect of O3 Dose on the O3/UV Treatment Process for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Secondary Effluent

A municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a melting pot of numerous pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) together with many other substances. The removal of PPCPs using advanced oxidation processes within a WWTP is one way to reduce the amount of PPCPs that potentially enter an aquatic environment. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the ozone (O 3)/UV treatment process, especially, the effects of O 3 dose and reaction time, on the removal of PPCPs in the secondary effluent of a WWTP. Experiments were conducted using a pilot-scale treatment process that consisted of two flow-through reactors connected in series. Each reactor was equipped with three 65 W lamps (UV 65W). The experimental variables were ozone dosage (1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 mg L ？1) and hydraulic retention time (HRT; 5 and 10 min). On the basis of the PPCP concentrations after O 3/UV 65W treatment and their limit of detection (LOD), 38 PPCPs detected in the secondary effluent were classified into 5 groups ranging from the category of “sensitive” to O 3/UV 65W or “unstable” in the O 3/UV 65W process to the category of “insensitive” to O 3/UV 65W or “very stable” in the O 3/UV 65W process. View Full-Tex