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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol.10, No.4
Publication Date:August 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/aivp.104.12805.
Islam, M. S., &Sangaran, S. (2022). Sustainable Treatment of Emerging Organic Pollutants (Eops), Endocrine Disruption Chemicals
(Edcs) from Water &Waste Water and Role of AIU Online Based Distance Learning Education System to Achieve UNESCO 2030
Goals Towards Sustainable Development. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(4). 556-569.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Sustainable Treatment of Emerging Organic Pollutants (Eops),
Endocrine Disruption Chemicals (Edcs) from Water
&WasteWater and Role of AIU Online Based Distance Learning
Education System to Achieve UNESCO 2030 Goals Towards
Sustainable Development
Mohammad Shahidul Islam
School of Science and Engineering, Atlantic International
University, Pioneer Plaza, 900 Fort Street Mall 905,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, USA
Sumathi Sangaran
Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd., Royal Malaysian Naval Base
32100 LUMUT, Perak DarulRidzuan, Malaysia
A Emerging Organic Pollutants (Eops) Treatment
ABSTRACT
Complete mineralization of EOPs including EDCs is one of the challenges towards
sustainable management practice of water and waste water treatment systems.
Ozone gas has been identified as an effective oxidant against mineralization of
these chemicals. Optimization of factors affecting ozonolysis is vital towards
mineralization of EDCs. For this kinetic study of ozonolysis degradation of EDCs in
two phase gas-liquid systems is performed in a semibatch reactor observing Total
Organic Carbon (TOC) degradation for process optimization. Concentration of
initial substances, temperature of the system and sparger/bubble size have
significant effect on ozonolysis of EDCs. They are considered as dominant factors
to be optimized. Temperature dependency of specific kinetic constants of model
EDCs, i.e., Diclofenac Sodium (DFS) has been determined by taking into account the
specific volume change due to ozone dosing. From this the activation energy for
DFS has been determined to be 26.4 KJ/mol using the well known Arrhenius rate
equation. These information together with sparger effect have been incorporated
to find optimum values of the process variables for ozonolysis of EDCs in water
and wastewater without using any catalyst so that the simplicity of the ozonolysis
process can be preserved. Results obtained in work will help water treatment
industries to develop sustainable ozonolysis technique to treat EDCs at optimized
process condition.
Keywords: Ozonolysis, Semi-batch process, Optimization, Temperature, Sparger
influence and Sustainability.
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557
Islam, M. S., &Sangaran, S. (2022). Sustainable Treatment of Emerging Organic Pollutants (Eops), Endocrine Disruption Chemicals (Edcs) from
Water &Waste Water and Role of AIU Online Based Distance Learning Education System to Achieve UNESCO 2030 Goals Towards Sustainable
Development. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(4). 556-569.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.104.12805
INTRODUCTION
Sustainability means to meet the present needs without compromising our future generation
to meet their own needs. It is a rather short statement. But it has broad and prolonged
implication in our ecosphere. Successive loading of detrimental elements including emerging
organic pollutants (EOPs) is a hurdle towards sustainable development because it disrupts
the second and the third system conditions of socio-ecological principles for a sustainable
society [1], which says that, substance provided by society must not systematically increase in
nature and the physical basis for the productivity and diversity of nature must not be
systematically deteriorated. The successive loading also disrupts 3 out of 17 UNESCO 2030
goals towards sustainable development. These are: ensure healthy lives and promote well- being for all at all ages (goal no. 3), ensure availability and sustainable management of water
and sanitation for all (goal no. 6) and sustainable consumption and production patterns of
water (goal no. 12). Endocrine disruption chemicals (EDCs) are water born EOPs. Most of the
EDCs are synthetic chemicals, pharmaceutical and personal care products and organic
steroids. Among these, many prescription free pharmaceutical products are active EDCs. After
uptake, part of these EDCs are slipped through our physiological system and eventually ended
up in sewage treatment plants through combined sewer network. Present practices of sewage
treatment system are ineffective towards complete mineralization of these EDCs. As a result,
these EDCs are eventually loaded up in the receiving water bodies with a chance to
bioaccumulation through food chain because of their persistence nature.
EDCs interact with human physiological systems by either blocking hormone from its normal
function or by altering pathway of the hormone in the way it interacts with the physiological
systems. The resulting effects are different type of hormone related disorders which can lead
to carcinogenic disease as well.
Ozone (O3) is a strong oxidant. It can oxidize and break down into small molecules of many
large-molecule, persistent and toxic organic chemicals. As a result of this, ozonolysis
technique is being extensively explored over last few decades to successfully treat and
mineralize many EOPs including EDCs. One of the major engineering challenges associated
with introduction of ozonolysis technique to treat aqueous EOPs/EDCs is design of a right
sparger. Because O3 gas is introduced to the waste water column through a sparger/diffuser
assembly. Right size of sparger can diffuse right load of O3 in the waste water column to
impart oxidation of the EOPs/EDCs.
To solve this problem, degradation study (i.e., reaction kinetics) of EDCs has been carried out
by the authors (Buffle and Gunten, 2006; Rodríguez et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2008). They used
ozone as an oxidant by observing reactant’s concentration gradient. However, they
compromised extent of carbonaceous (TOC) mineralization, which is very important for
legislative compliance. In course of ozonolysis, even though reactant degrades but at the same
time Degradation By Products (DBPs) are formed and decayed. This may be even more
harmful than the reactant (i.e., EDC) itself (Johnson and Sumpter, 2001). A number of studies
have been reported in published literature on factors affecting EDCs ozonolysis kinetics.
Sparger effect on Ozonewater mass transfer has been studied (Zhou et al., 2000) by measuring
bubble size distribution and mixing intensities in semi batch water contactor. It has been
reported that 2 mm median size bubbles have been observed using 25 μm porous crystalline
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European Journal of Applied Sciences(EJAS) Vol.10, Issue 4, August-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
alumina sparger. Also increase in mass transfer with increase in specific surface area of the
rising ozone bubbles has been documented. The same author also observed that increased
ozone dose (consumed) beyond saturation level has no effect on gas holdup which is a
function of bubble size distribution and gas flow rate. Temperature is another dominant factor
affecting ozonolysis kinetic (Thiruvenkatachari, 2005). It has been observed that Bisphenol A
(initial concentration 10 ppm) degradation efficiency increases with increase in temperature
from 30° C to 70° C, where TiO2 was used as a catalyst. This companion author used coagulant
to settle out TiO2 from solution which would eventually require another unit operation in
water treatment flow sheet. It has been revealed that with the increase in temperature,
organic degradation rate increases due to increase in degradation kinetics. Companion
authors also indicated that temperature increase results in increase in organic degradation
rate and degradation kinetics. Nevertheless, increasing ozone dose beyond saturation level
there is no effect on Organic-O3 mass transfer. Decreasing bubble dia beyond certain size as
well as increasing ozone dose beyond saturation level also has no effect on Organic-O3 mass
transfer and hence degradation efficiency. Since ozone is an unstable, troposphere air
pollutant and costly substance to generate and finer sparger encounter efficiency and
maintenance problem, it is essential to optimize these parameters for ease of enhancing
ozonolysis efficiency. Present work endeavors optimization of factors affecting ozonolysis
kinetics namely, concentration of initial substances, sparger effect and ozonolysis
temperature. No catalyst was used to influence ozonolysis kinetics so that it can offer inherent
possibility to use this technology for water treatment industries to treat EOPs as well as EDCs
with minimal unit operation. Aim of the study is to optimize process variables including
sparger size to introduce right load of O3 for EOPs as well as EDCs mineralization. Purpose is
to deduce flexible, reliable and effective treatment method by incorporating the ozonolysis
technique.
PROBLEM DESCRIPTIONS
Issues need to be addressed in optimizing process variables for EDCs carbonaceous
degradation in ozonolysis are: concentration of initial substances, bubble size (sparger size)
and ozonolysis temperature. These informations are essential to fix optimum process
conditions to achieve maximum carbonaceous mineralization in ozonolysis. To get optimized
process variables, semi-batch lab scale experimentation need to be carried out. Because semi
batch process is superior to both plug flow and continuous operation (Ridlehoover and
Seagrave, 1973). It is suitable to determine reaction kinetics due to its flexibility over a wide
range of process conditions. Moreover, flow–through reactor model can be developed using
parameters (kinetics) independently determined from batch and semi-batch experiments
(Kima et al., 2007). As a result these optimized process variables will also be helpful to
demonstrate continuous plug flow reactor performance prediction for industrial application
of the ozonolysis technology for the treatment of EDCs from water and waste water.
OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH
1. To carry out lab scale semi-batch experiment of ozonolysis of EDC to get necessary reaction
kinetics.
2. To develop consistent kinetic theory describing ozonolysis process.
3. To validate theory with experimental data. This process will give kinetic co-efficients best
representing the ozonolysis process.