| Most synthetic water-soluble polymers from industrial effluents are discarded into the aqueous environment. Due to their water solubility they can reach conventional sewage disposal systems and contaminate water resources as they are not amenable to biodegradation. Therefore, the possibility of rendering these materials to biologically managable chemical compounds is a challenging task.;In this study, the photooxidative degradation of water-soluble polymers in wastewater is studied using different methods of AOTs. The experimental design, statistical analysis, and optimization of different processes of AOTs are investigated employing various methods of response surface methodology (RSM). Using RSM, the effects of different process parameters on the response function are determined. Also, a detailed mechanistic kinetic model is developed along with photoreactor design and modeling for a laboratory-scale batch recirculating photoreactor.;Continuous-distribution kinetics using population balance equations is applied to describe the dynamics of polymer degradation. In order to validate the proposed model, the model predictions are compared to the experimental data carried out at different operating conditions. Furthermore, in order to determine spatial distribution of different parameters, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling incorporating rigorous kinetic rate expressions and governing transport equations is also studied.;Finally, a methodology for scaling-up a laboratory-scale photoreactor for the polymer photodegradation is proposed. In this procedure, the intrinsic kinetic parameters are determined using the laboratory-scale batch recirculating photoreactor. The obtained kinetic parameters are used to predict the performance of the pilot-scale continuous flow through photoreactor without any adjustable parameter. Three compulsory conditions are needed in this approach: (1) to hae a validated kinetic scheme, (2) a validated intrinsic reaction kinetic expression using a laboratoryscale photoreactor with the simplest mathematical representation for both mass and radiation balances, and (3) a rigorous mathematical model for the pilot-scale photoreactors. A CFD model development for the scaling-up methodology is validated experimentally in the pilot-scale photoreactor.;The applications of advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) for treating wastewater containing recalcitrant and inhibitory organics have risen drastically during the past few decades. AOTs mediate fast degradation or decomposition of the target organic compounds by producing free radical species. |
