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ABSTRACT
This paper reports a study using ozone (O3) and combined ozone/ultraviolet (O3/UV) processes for color removal and caffeine degradation from synthetic coffee wastewater using a second-order response surface methodology (RSM) with a three-level central composite face-centered (CCF) design. The effects of O3 concentration, initial pH, and reaction time were examined for both processes. The reaction time and pH were statistically significant for caffeine degradation and color removal. In the ozonation process, higher caffeine degradation and color removal were observed in alkaline pH, indicating that ozone attacks indirectly, consequently generating hydroxyl radicals. Regarding the ozone/UV process, it was observed that lower caffeine degradation and color removal occurred at neutral pH, indicating an adverse effect due to lower ozone dissolution and consequently the production of a smaller amount of free hydroxyl radicals. The achieved results showed that the techniques were efficient for color removal (85% and 99%, respectively) and caffeine degradation (88% and 98%, respectively).