Performance characterization and kinetic modeling of ozonation using a new method: R concept.

Ozonation is an effective treatment for removing various organic pollutants from aquatic systems. The R concept, which is defined as the ratio of OH exposure to O exposure, has been widely used to predict the removal efficiency of target compounds, but it has significant variations by water temperature and initial O dose which are crucial parameters in drinking water plant. The R concept, which is defined as the OH exposure by O consumption, was proposed as a kinetic parameter for characterization and kinetic modeling for ozonation. The R concept is independent of temperature and initial O dose. A higher R value indicates a higher OH formation when the same amount of O is consumed in different water samples; therefore, the OH yield from O decomposition of the water samples can be compared using the R values. The R concept can also be used to characterize and model the initial ozone demand phase, and it is more convenient method compared to Rct concept. Using the R concept, the dynamic O and OH kinetics and the removal efficiencies of iopromide and ibuprofen were well predicted (R = 0.98) over a wide range of experimental conditions (n = 124).