Real-time control of micropollutant removal from secondary effluent by ozonation

Ozonation has shown to be a promising technology in removing micropollutants from wastewater effluent but current basic control strategies still result in sub-optimal ozone dosing. This work aimed at applying novel, yet simple, surrogate models (based on delta UVA254), to assess the micropollutant removal on pilot-scale as a proof-of-concept. Different events and fluctuations in effluent conditions (e.g. due to rain or dry weather) were taken into account. During this variable conditions, by alternating the ozone dosed based on the required delta UVA254, a good agreement was seen between predicted and achieved removals for a broad range of micropollutants. Fouling of the online UV-VIS sensors also seemed to be depending on the type of sensor and the effluent quality.