Investigations on ozone contacting by ceramic membranes

Ozone transfer was investigated using various oxide ceramic membranes and d ifferent process parameters. The ozone mass transfer per contactor volume t hrough hydrophilic membranes was in the same order of magnitude as conventi onal bubble contacting. The pressure differential between the gaseous and a queous phase as well as the membrane material's microstructure was found to widely determine the transfer rate. A hydrophobic coating of the membrane surface led to a considerable increase in transfer. Bubble free ozone conta cting with porous ceramic is a possible approach for the ozonation of probl ematic wastewaters susceptible of excessive foam formation.