APPLICATION OF OZONE FOR THE REMOVAL OF CATECHOL FROMAQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

Catechol, a phenolic compound, is carcinogenic and toxic and enters the environment through industrial waste. The main objective of this paper was to evaluate the performance of the ozone in the removal of catechol from water. Catechol concentration was determined using a high-pressure gas chromatography (HPLC). Concentration of ozone and chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured using standard methods. Efficiency of ozonation process in catechol degradation at optimum conditions (pH 10, catechol concentration 100 mg/L, ozone dosage 2.1 mg/min and reaction time 20 min) was 100%. Ozonation process can be used alone if the catechol concentration is less than 100 mg/L. Also, due to the synergistic effect of ozonation process with biological processes, this process can be used as pre-treatment if the catechol concentration is less than 1000 mg/L. The ozonation can be regarded as the only treatment and pretreatment process for the degradation of organic chemical compounds that are toxic and resistant to biodegradation.