Majhool, A.K.; Sukkar, K.A.; Alsaffar, M.A. Combining α-Al2O3 Packing Material and a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonized Bubble Column Reactor to Increase the Phenol Degradation from Wastewater. Processes2023, 11, 2416.
Majhool, A.K.; Sukkar, K.A.; Alsaffar, M.A. Combining α-Al2O3 Packing Material and a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonized Bubble Column Reactor to Increase the Phenol Degradation from Wastewater. Processes 2023, 11, 2416.
Majhool, A.K.; Sukkar, K.A.; Alsaffar, M.A. Combining α-Al2O3 Packing Material and a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonized Bubble Column Reactor to Increase the Phenol Degradation from Wastewater. Processes2023, 11, 2416.
Majhool, A.K.; Sukkar, K.A.; Alsaffar, M.A. Combining α-Al2O3 Packing Material and a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonized Bubble Column Reactor to Increase the Phenol Degradation from Wastewater. Processes 2023, 11, 2416.
Abstract
The ozonation reaction in a bubble column reactor (BCR) has been widely used in the removal of phenol from wastewater, but the phenol removal efficiency in this type of reactor is limited because of low ozone solubility and reactivity in the system. In the present study, the phenol degradation was enhanced using α-Al2O3 as a packing material and a ZnO nanocatalyst in the BCR. The reactor diameter and height were 8 cm and 180 cm, respectively. The gas distributor was designed to include 52 holes of 0.5-mm diameter. Also, the gas holdup, pressure drop, and bubble size were measured as a function of the superficial gas velocity (i.e., 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 cm/s). The evaluation of the hydrodynamic parameters provided a deep understanding of the ozonation process to select the optimal operating parameters in the reactor. It was found that the best superficial gas velocity was 2.5 cm/s. A complete (100%) phenol removal was achieved for phenol concentrations of 15, 20, and 25 ppm at reaction times of 80, 90, and 100 min, respectively, using α-Al2O3 packing material and a ZnO nanocatalyst in the BCR. Additionally, the results provided a clear reaction mechanism describing the ozonized BCR. Finally, the applied treatment method can be used efficiently to remove phenol from wastewater at a low cost, with little consumed energy, and a simple operation.
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