The application of the perfluorinated bonded alumina phase for natural organic matter catalytic ozonation

An investigation into the efficiency of natural organic matter ozonation in the presence of alumina modified with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the goal of this paper. UV254-absorbance analysis indicated that the PFOA/O3 system increases the efficiency of colour removal from treated water when compared with ozonation alone and ozonation in the presence of alumina. The total organic carbon (TOC) analysis proved that the PFOA/O3 system is also responsible for natural organic matter (NOM) degradation in water due to two significant processes that take place during the ozonation step: adsorption and reaction with ozone. Both an increase of carbonyl compounds formation and changes in molecular size distribution of NOM treated with ozone in the presence of PFOA were found to be another evidence for catalytic activity of the PFOA/O3 system.