AWWA WQTC57180

This paper reports on a series of pilot-scale tests that were carried out to investigate the performance of the pulsed-ultraviolet (UV), pulsed-UV/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ozone, and ozone/H2O2 processes for removing methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from surface water and groundwater. Experiments conducted in a flow through reactor demonstrate that hydroxyl radicals produced by pulsed-UV/H2O2 and ozone/H2O2 processes were consistently effective in oxidizing MTBE than was pulsed-UV photolysis or ozone alone. For pulsed-UV and pulsed-UV/H2O2 treatment systems, groundwater which contained high levels of nitrate exhibited an overall lower level of removal efficiency than the surface water (e.g., State project water, SPW). Nitrate strongly absorbs UV light, thus decreasing the amount of hydroxyl radicals generated during the pulsed-UV process. For ozone systems, in the absence of H2O2, high levels of bromate were formed, well in excess of the regulatory limit. Addition of H2O2 significantly reduced the amount of bromate formed, but with 30 mg/L of applied ozone and H2O2, the level of bromate formed in the effluent exceeded the regulatory limit. Post-oxidation treatment using biological-active granular activated carbon (BAC) removed most of the residual MTBE and byproducts in the process effluent. However, with higher MTBE concentration (>2,000 ug/L), increasing hydraulic retention time, might be necessary to achieve the desired level of MTBE. Includes 11 references, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

11/01/2002

Number of Pages:

25

File Size:

1 file , 490 KB