Application of CFD modelling at a full-scale ozonation plant for the removal of micropollutants from secondary effluent.

Since November 2009, Germany's first full-scale ozonation plant for tertiary treatment of secondary effluent is in continuous operation. A kinetic model was developed and combined with the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS(®) CFX(®) to simulate the removal of micropollutants from secondary effluents. Input data like reaction rate constants and initial concentrations of bulk components of the effluent organic matter (EfOM) were derived from experimental batch tests.

An immunologic model for rapid vaccine assessment -- a clinical trial in a test tube.

While the duration and size of human clinical trials may be difficult to reduce, there are several parameters in pre-clinical vaccine development that may be possible to further optimise. By increasing the accuracy of the models used for pre-clinical vaccine testing, it should be possible to increase the probability that any particular vaccine candidate will be successful in human trials. In addition, an improved model will allow the collection of increasingly more-informative data in pre-clinical tests, thus aiding the rational design and formulation of candidates entered into clinical evaluation.

Ozonation of wastewater: rate of ozone consumption and hydroxyl radical yield.

For the prediction of the elimination efficiency of micropollutants from wastewater by ozone, the ozone rate constants of the micropollutants and the kinetics of the reaction of ozone with wastewater must be known. The latter is multiphasic with k = 0.071 (mg DOC)(-1) s(-1) for the first mg/L ozone (at a DOC of 7.

Risk assessment for organic trace compounds in wastewater: comparison of conventional and advanced treatment.

The elimination of organic trace compounds in municipal wastewater was analysed at three German wastewater treatment plants. Additionally, the effects of advanced treatment, membrane filtration, adsorption and oxidation processes were investigated. To assess the ecotoxicity of effluents, a number of tools were used: substance-specific evaluation, case studies for combined effects and risk assessment on the basis of cumulative parameters.

Elimination of the musk fragrances galaxolide and tonalide from wastewater by ozonation and concomitant stripping.

Ozone reacts with the musk fragrances tonalide and galaxolide with rate constants of 8 M(-1)s(-1) and 140 M(-1)s(-1), respectively. In wastewater, ozone eliminates only the more reactive compound, galaxolide, in competition with its reaction with the wastewater matrix. As both compounds are also stripped in a bubble column, tonalide is also eliminated to some extent.