Apparatus and method for oxidative treatment of organic contaminants in waste water

Abstract

A method of making an aqueous mixture of ozone and water comprising pumping a solution of ozonated water through a high cavitation rate homogenizing device, thereby causing formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone in the solution. The high cavitation rate homogenizing device may be a homogenizing mixer. The high cavitation rate homogenizing device may be comprised of rotors and stators moving in close proximity relative to each other and separated by the solution of ozonated water. The relative motion of the rotors and stators may cause up to 500 million cavitation events per second in the solution of ozonated water, thereby causing the formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of making an aqueous mixture of ozone and water comprising pumping a solution of ozonated water through a high cavitation rate homogenizing device, thereby causing formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone in the solution. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the high cavitation rate homogenizing device is a homogenizing mixer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the high cavitation rate homogenizing device is comprised of rotors and stators moving in close proximity relative to each other and separated by the solution of ozonated water, and wherein the relative motion of the rotors and stators cause up to 500 million cavitation events per second in the solution of ozonated water, thereby causing the formation of gas phase nanobubbles of ozone. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the solution of ozone includes entrained microbubbles of ozone, and the high cavitation rate homogenizing device causes cavitation of the microbubbles to form the nanobubbles. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanobubbles are between 0.1 and 0.9 microns in diameter. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising causing hydraulic cavitation within the high cavitation rate homogenizing device, thereby causing enhanced formation of hydroxyl radicals in the solution. 
     
     
         7 . A method of making an oxidative aqueous medium, the method comprising:
 a) delivering a solution of ozone dissolved in water to a high cavitation rate homogenizing device;   b) within the high cavitation rate homogenizing device, causing hydraulic cavitation to enhance the formation of hydroxyl radicals in the solution.   
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented method of treating waste water from a source, the method comprising:
 a) measuring the pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and total organic carbon of the waste water from the source, and communicating first measured values of pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and total organic carbon of the waste water to the computer;   b) adding ozonated water at a first ozone concentration and at a first ozonated water flow rate into a volume of the waste water delivered from the source through a vessel;   c) adding aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution at a first hydrogen peroxide concentration and a first hydrogen peroxide solution flow rate to the volume of the waste water;   d) at least at one measurement location subsequent to the addition of ozonated water and aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, measuring the pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and total organic carbon of the volume of the waste water and communicating second measured values of pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and total organic carbon to the computer; and   e) executing an algorithm by the computer by which at least one of the first ozone concentration, first ozonated water flow rate, first hydrogen peroxide concentration, first hydrogen peroxide solution flow rate, and pH of a first portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel is adjusted such that the oxidation-reduction potential of a second portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel relative to the oxidation-reduction potential of the first portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel is optimized.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the executing an algorithm by the computer causes the total organic carbon of the second portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel to be minimized. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising recycling a third portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel back into the vessel at a recycling flow rate, and wherein the algorithm adjusts the recycling flow rate such that the oxidation-reduction potential of a second portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel relative to the oxidation-reduction potential of the first portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel is optimized. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the volume of the waste water delivered from the source flows through the vessel in plug flow. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the ozonated water and the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution are added to the volume of waste water simultaneously. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is added to the volume of waste water subsequent to adding the ozonated water to the volume of waste water. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the pH of the first portion of the volume of waste water discharged from the vessel is adjusted to between 7.5 and 8.5.