Characteristic behaviors of ozone decomposition and oxidation of pharmaceuticals during ozonation of surface waters in Ulsan

This study demonstrates the oxidative degradation of pharmaceutical compounds during ozonation of surface waters in Ulsan. Diclofenac, carbamazepine, bezafibrate, and ibuprofen were selected as surrogate pharmaceutical compounds, and ozonation experiments were performed using raw waters collected from the Sayeon Dam and the Hoeya Dam in Ulsan. Diclofenac and carbamazepine which have high reactivity with molecular ozone showed higher removal efficiencies than bezafibrate and ibuprofen during ozonation. The addition of tert-butanol, a hydroxyl radical scavenger, increased the removal efficiencies of diclofenac and carbamazepine by increasing the ozone exposure. However, the oxidation of bezafibrate and ibuprofen was inhibited by the presence of tert-butanol due to the suppression of the exposure to hydroxyl radical. The elimination of the selected pharmaceuticals could be successfully predicted by the kinetic model base on the $R_{ct}$ concept. Depending on the experimental condition, $R_{ct}$ values were determined to be $(1.54{\sim}3.32){\times}10^{-7}$ and $(1.19{\sim}3.04){\times}10^{-7}$ for the Sayeon Dam and the Hoeya Dam waters, respectively. Relatively high $R_{ct}$ values indicate that the conversion of $O_3$ into $^{\cdot}OH$ is more pronounced for surface waters in Ulsan compared to other water sources.

울산시 상수원수에서의 오존분해 특성 및 의약물질 분해 거동 연구