Hydrodynamic cavitation in combination with the ozone, hydrogen peroxide and the UV-based advanced oxidation processes for the removal of natural organic matter from drinking water

Natural organic matter in drinking water is causing concern especially due to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) by chlorine, as these are proven to have adverse health effects on consumers. In this research, humic acid was used as a source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in drinking water (up to 3 mg L−1). The efficiency of DOC removal was studied by applying O3, H2O2/O3, H2O2/UV and O3/UV advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) alone and combined with hybrid hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), generated by an orifice plate, as this technology recently shows promising potential for the treatment of water, containing recalcitrant organic substances. It was observed that the combined treatment by HC could significantly affect the performance of the applied AOPs, with as little as 3-9 passes through the cavitation generators. For O3 and H2O2 dosages up to 2 and 4 mg L−1, respectively, and UV dosage up to 300 mJ cm−2, HC enhanced DOC removal by 5-15% in all combinations, except for O3/UV AOPs. Overall, the potential benefits of HC for DOC removal were emphasized for low ratio between applied oxidants to DOC and high UV absorbance of the sample. Investigated DBPs formation potentials require special attention for H2O2/UV AOPs and combinations with HC.