OZONE AND OZONE-RELATED
Capital costs include the
ADVANCED OXIDATION PROCESSES
Ozone (O3) is one of the strongest disinfectants
and oxidants available in drinking water
treatment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
in water treatment typically refers to
combinations of ozone and hydrogen peroxide
(O3/H2O2), or of ultraviolet light and hydrogen
peroxide (UV/H2O2). The O3/H2O2 and UV/H2O2
processes enhance formation of the hydroxyl
•
radical ( OH) which is a more powerful broad
spectrum oxidant than molecular ozone and thus
can oxidize a wider variety of organic and
inorganic contaminants.
Ozone is widely used in drinking water treatment
for inactivation of Giardia and Cryptosporidium,
and for its ability to oxidize many inorganic and
organic compounds (color, natural organic
matter, disinfection by-product precursors, taste
and odor, iron and manganese, etc.). AOPs have
been demonstrated to be effective for the
removal/destruction of compounds not readily
oxidized by ozone, or which may require higher
than normal ozone doses for effective treatment
(e.g., PCE, TCE, Atrazine, taste and odor
compounds such as MIB and geosmin). AOPs
may make oxidation of such contaminants more
economical.
Ozone can be applied at various points in the
treatment train, although it is usually applied
prior to coagulation (reduces coagulant demand)
or filtration (causes micro-flocculation which
improves filterability).
Ozone is typically added to water via a diffused
bubble system in a special contactor consisting of
multiple enclosed chambers.
The most efficient operational use of H2O2/O3 is
to add peroxide into the second chamber of an
ozone contactor. This configuration allows the
utility to obtain disinfection credits for ozonation
while achieving the benefit of AOP for
destruction of micro-pollutants. The most
common point of application for an UV/H2O2
system is after filtration (lower turbidity, reduced
obstruction/shielding of UV light, etc.).
Approximate capital and operations and
maintenance (O&M) costs for ozone are
provided in Table 1.
addition of an ozone feed system, and contactor
(12 minutes), ozone destruction equipment,
associated piping and valves, and instrumentation
and controls. O&M costs are based on an ozone
dose of 7 mg/L and include chemicals, power,
replacement parts, and maintenance labor. Costs
do not include pH adjustment (which can
enhance the oxidation process and can represent
a significant O&M expenditure).
Table 1. Approximate Costs of Ozone
Design Flow (mgd) 0.1 1.0 10 100
Average Flow (mgd) 0.03 0.35 4.4 50
1
Capital Cost ($/gal) $4.00 $1.00 $0.50 $0.25
2
Annual O&M Cost ($/kgal) $6.50 $0.50 $0.25 $0.20
1. Capital costs are based on $ per gallon of treatment plant capacity. For example, addition
of ozone at a treatment facility with a capacity of 100,000 gpd would be expected to cost
approximately $400,000 ($4.00/gal × 100,000 gal = $400,000).
2. Annual O&M costs are based on $ per thousand gallons treated. For example, annual
O&M costs for a system with an average daily flow of 30,000 gallons (5 kgal) would be
approximately $71,175 ($6.50/kgal × 30 kgal/day × 365 days/year = $71,175).
Ozone and AOP reactions can produce a number
of unregulated disinfection by-products (DBPs),
including aldehydes, ketones, carboxyl acids,
epoxides, peroxides, quinine phenols, and
brominated organics. In some cases these
emerging DBPs can create new taste and odors
problems. In many cases the health effects of
these emerging DBPs are not well understood.
Ozonation of water containing bromide can lead
to the formation of bromate (BrO3), which must
be maintained below the regulated 10 µg/L level.
Ozone oxidation will also break down many
natural organic compounds into smaller chain
molecules which can more easily serve as food for
microorganisms. This increase in assimilable
organic carbon (AOC) may cause problematic
biological regrowth in the distribution system
unless removed (typically by biologically-active
GAC filters).