Advanced oxidation processes
Hydrodynamic cavitation for persistent micropollutant removal
New regulations regarding the removal of emerging pollutants push conventional wastewater treatment technologies to their limit. Pharmaceuticals, pesticides and industrial chemicals are not removed in conventional wastewater treatment plants. Many persistent micropollutants, such as perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS), are not removed by any treatment technology available on the market. Plant operators are now looking for new technologies that offer an effective and economically viable alternative for water treatment systems to comply with new standards for emerging pollutant treatment.
Experts at the CLEWATEC Innovation Lab are developing in cooperation with Air Liquide a novel approach to emerging pollutant degradation that involves the combination of ozonation and hydrodynamic cavitation. In the so called HyKaPro process, a sidestream of contaminated wastewater is first enriched with ozone and then injected under pressure through a nozzle specially designed to induce hydrodynamic cavitation. This leads to the generation of extreme temperatures together with highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (OH*). The combined effect of oxidation through OH* and thermal degradation has been shown to be able to degrade pollutant molecules not affected by existing treatment alternatives for emerging pollutants, e.g. ozone gas injection.
The developed process offers the following advantages:
- Degradation of pollutants resistant to other oxidation processes
- No need for further materials apart from oxygen, e.g. catalysts
- In-pipe solution which does not require large reactor volumes and allows for better control of oxidation agent dosage
The HyKaPro process is the subject of the SAB validation project of the same name, during which the technology is to be demonstrated under practical conditions.
Publications:
Huaccallo-Aguilar, Y., Kumar, A., Mante, J., Meier, M., Reinecke, S. F., Efficient micropollutant removal from effluents using continuous hydrodynamic cavitation combined with ozone, 13th IWA Micropol & Ecohazard Conference, 16.-20.06.2024, Taipei, Taiwan
Kumar, A., Huaccallo-Aguilar, Y., Meier, M., Ding, W., Reinecke, S. F., The combination of experimental and numerical investigations on the hydrodynamic cavitation-based advanced oxidation process for wastewater treatment, 12th International Cavitation Symposium – CAV2024, 02.-05.06.2024, Chania, Greece
Kumar, A.; Huaccallo Aguilar, Y.; Reinecke, S.; Meier, M.; Ding, W.; Hampel, U., Experimental and computational investigations of hydrodynamic cavitation for micropollutant removal, 16th International Conference on Gas–Liquid and Gas–Liquid–Solid Reactor Engineering - GLS 16, 02.-05.09.2024, Dresden, Deutschland
Kumar, A.; Huaccallo Aguilar, Y.; Rangarajan, R.; Matzke, N.; Reinecke, S.; Ding, W.; Meier, M.; Hampel, U., Numerical simulation of hydroxyl radical production during hydrodynamic cavitation in the presence of dissolved ozone, IOA World Congress & Exhibition, Milan, Italy — 2 -7 July, 2023, 02.-07.07.2023, Milan, Italy
Huaccallo Aguilar, Y.; Kumar, A.; Mante, J.; Meier, M.; Reinecke, S.; Hampel, U., Influence of the inlet pressure, flowrate and ozone dosage on the ozonation/cavitation for the rapid removal of succinic acid, IOA World Congress & Exhibition, 02.-07.07.2023, Milan, Italy
