Ozonation of wastewater in Algeria by dielectric barrier discharge

Abstract

The oxidation by ozone is considered as being an effective solution and offers irrefutable advantages in wastewater treatment. Ozone is used to treat different types of water due to its effectiveness in water purification and for its oxidation potential. This process of ozonation becomes progressively as an alternative technology and is inscribed in a sustainable development perspective, in particular in Algeria, where other conventional techniques of treatment are used in comparison to the latter, which is often used in Europe. Our work describes this process of treatment using the ozone produced by dielectric barrier discharges (DBD), which are fed by a high voltage of several thousands of volts. So, we conceived and accomplished a new generator of ozone DBD of cylindrical form, which will be used for wastewater treatment (WWTP) of Mascara, west of Algeria. Our experimental results have revealed the effectiveness of this type of treatment on the basis of physicochemical analysis (pH, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand and oxidable matter) and bacteriological (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and Salmonella) upstream and downstream of the WWTP which presents a very high rate of elimination of all the parameters, particularly for the turbidity and bacteria in a very effective manner.

Keywords:

• Wastewater
• Treatment
• Oxidation
• High voltage
• DBD generator
• Ozone

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the great contribution of the laboratory of science and technology of water of the Mascara University in the realization of this work and that of the university of Sidi Bel-Abbes “laboratory of interactions networks converters electrical machines” for its scientific support. They would also like to thank all those who have in a way or another contributed to the execution of this task, in particular, the engineers in biology working at the laboratory of geomatics of the Mascara University, and finally, the director and the engineers of the sewage plant in Mascacra.