Conversion of organic micropollutants with limited bromate formation during the Peroxone process in drinking water treatment

Advanced oxidation with O3 / H2O2 (peroxone) was conducted on pilot plant scale on pre-treated Meuse river water to investigate the conversion of organic micropollutants (OMPs) and the formation of bromate. Fourteen selected model compounds were dosed to the pre-treated river water on a regular basis to assess the efficiency of the peroxone process and to establish the influence of the water matrix. The ozone dose was the main factor in the conversion of the model compounds, however, the ozone dose was limited because of bromate formation. The hydrogen peroxide dosage had only a minor effect on the conversion, but it limited the bromate formation effectively. In terms of limited chemical consumption, maximal conversion and to comply the strict Dutch drinking water act for bromate of 1 μg L−1, a practical peroxone setting was 6 mg L−1 hydrogen peroxide and 1.5 mg L−1 ozone. During the investigation period, the average conversion of the model compounds was 78.9 %. The conversion of OMPs was higher at higher water temperatures and lower concentrations of DOC and bicarbonate. The bromate formation also was higher at higher water temperature and lower bicarbonate concentration and proportional with the bromide concentration, above a threshold of about 32 μg L−1 bromide. The peroxone process can be controlled on basis of the (derived) parameters water temperature, bicarbonate and DOC.