Kinetics of the lactate-ozone reaction in an open-loop system

Ozonation was studied as a means of lowering the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of sauerkraut brine in which lactic acid was the major oxidizable constituent. During ozonation, the most efficient consumption of ozone was achieved by creating a zero-order reaction system in which the molar ratio of lactic acid :ozone was quite large. Decomposition of ozone may have been accelerated by the secondary influence of minor constituents and by catalytic decomposition caused by salt, ions, and so forth. Considering the high efficiency of the zero-order oxidation stage, existing water quality criteria should be met by dilution after, rather than before, ozonation, when effecting COD reduction with the use of ozone.