Treatment of sulfur-alkaline wastewater using ozonation
Abstract
Sulfur-alkaline wastewater (SAW) generated by petrochemical plants poses an environmental challenge due to its complex composition, which includes difficult-to-oxidize organic compounds and toxic inorganic compounds, necessitating the search for new effective and environmentally friendly solutions for its disposal. This study explores the use of ozonation enhanced by the addition of hydrogen peroxide («peroxon» process) as a promising method for the deep treatment of such wastewater. The input and output characteristics of a real diluted SAW were carefully determined. The purification efficiency was evaluated based on key parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the dynamics of changes in the concentrations of sulfide and sulfate ions. It has been established that the use of ozonation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide leads to a significant reduction in COD by almost 4 times, which indicates a deep mineralization of organic substances. In addition, the effective conversion of toxic sulfides into significantly less hazardous sulfate ions has been observed. These results are clearly demonstrated by a comparative analysis of the electronic UV spectra of the initial and treated SAW, which show the disappearance of the main absorption bands. These findings highlight the high potential of ozonation for sustainable and efficient treatment of SAW.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Natalya A. Ivantsova, Anastasia Yu. Shlykova, and Alexey I. Zarichny
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