Removal of selected organic pollutants from water using advanced oxidation processes

The aim of this diploma thesis is the determination of selected organic pollutants with a focus on artificial sweeteners in waste water from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) Modřice and the subsequent degradation of the thus obtained concentrations in model water using advanced oxidation processes (AOP). Two sweeteners were determined, namely sucralose and saccharin found in waste water. Synthetic sweeteners are not sufficiently cleaned in the WWTP and penetrate the environment. Effective processes for removing organic substances, including alternative sweeteners, are AOP processes. These processes are based on reactions of highly reactive hydroxyl radical (OH·), which is produced by many chemical reactions. Generally, they use ozone (O3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). On sampling, wastewater samples were treated with Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and then evaluated by HPLC/MS (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). In observing the degradation of selected sweeteners, three AOP methods were used: O3/UV, H2O2/UV and O3/H2O2. For each of these methods, the efficiency of degradation of sucralose and saccharin was investigated. From the evaluated data it was found that the most efficient AOP process for removing artificial sweeteners from water is the O3/H2O2 method