Influence of ozonation processes on the microbial degradation of surfactants

Abstract

The influence of ozonation of aqueous solutions of non-ionic surfactants was investigated in this study. The research was conducted using solutions of amine oxide based surfactants. These surfactants constitute a particular class of non-ionic surfactants that exhibit cationic behaviour in acid solution, they show good foaming properties and are skin compatible. The ozonation process was carried out at 25ºC in a stirred tank reactor for 30 min, where gaseous ozone was bubbled. The degree of mineralization achieved after the ozonation process was evaluated by measuring the total organic carbon before and after ozonation. The influence of ozonation on biodegradability of the solutions was studied using the biodegradation test by Pseudomonas putida. Biodegradation efficiency of the ozonated amine oxides based surfactants was also evaluated. It was found that the effectiveness of ozonation depended on the chemical structure of surfactant molecule. Ozonation only slightly improved biodegradation of these surfactants.