ABSTRACT
By using O3 fine bubbles that promote the mass transfer of O3 to the liquid phase and the conversion of the dissolved O3 into active oxygen species with a high oxidation potential, an improved liquid-phase oxidation technique was developed to accelerate the degradation of an organic compound at a constant O3 flow rate. By the use of a dielectric-barrier-discharge reactor, O2 was converted into O3 at an O2 flow rate of 0.56 mmol/(L·min), with 5 mol% O2-to-O3 conversion. Using a self-supporting bubble generator, O3 bubbles with an average diameter (dbbl) of 50 µm were continuously supplied into a solution in TBA (OH⢠scavenger) at 303 K, and the TBA being degraded. For comparison, O3 bubbles with dbbl values of 200-5000 µm were obtained using a dispersing-type generator. It was found that the minimization of bubble diameter accelerated both O3 dissolution, as a consequence of the increase in the gas-liquid interfacial area and the residence time of the bubbles, and enhanced OH⢠generation, because of the increase in contact probability between dissolved O3 and OH- at the minute gas-liquid interfaces, caused by the accumulation of OH- around the fine bubble surfaces. To ascertain the influence on organic compound degradation of the improved oxidation potential, bisphenol A, as a model compound, was degraded by O3 bubble injection at different dbbl values. Sequentially, the high OH⢠selectivity obtained by minimizing the bubble diameter can effectively achieve the rapid degradation of organic compounds and intermediates under a constant O3 flow rate.