Analysis of Absorption and Reaction Kinetics in the Oxidation of Organics in Effluents Using a Porous Electrode Ozonator

A novel electrode design for the in situ generation of ozone in the reaction zone of a tubular reactor is described in this work. The ozone generator uses a porous inner electrode tube in the corona discharge assembly, and the ozone generated around the outer periphery of the porous tube diffuses into the tubular reactor and reacts with the contaminants in the fluid that is being treated. A mathematical model that includes absorption and second order reaction in the film is developed to describe ozonation kinetics of a contaminant dye in the tubular reactor. The model describes the experimental data for dye decolorization, oxidation byproducts, dissolved ozone, and ozone gas concentrations well. Model analysis indicates that the fast dye decolorization reaction occurs partly in the liquid film and partly in the bulk fluid. The model can be used in the selection of appropriate gas-liquid contactors for efficient oxidation of contaminants in effluents.