PFAS treatment: where can ozone and activated carbon add value?
Water containing PFAS often presents more than one treatment challenge. Organic matter and other contaminants can affect the performance of downstream equipment, making it essential to assess the complete treatment process.
Combining ozone and activated carbon for PFAS treatment can be worth investigating. Ozone can modify the surrounding water chemistry and oxidise certain co-contaminants. Under suitable conditions, this can improve subsequent adsorption on activated carbon.
OXYTRADING UK helps industrial operators, water treatment companies and engineering consultants assess whether an ozonation stage could contribute to their wider PFAS treatment strategy.
Why assess the whole PFAS treatment process?
Established options for separating PFAS from water include granular activated carbon, anion exchange resins and suitable membranes, including reverse osmosis. Each has a specific role and produces spent media or concentrated waste streams that require appropriate management.
Performance depends on the PFAS present and the characteristics of the water. Organic matter can compete for adsorption capacity on carbon. Other contaminants may require additional treatment. An industrial effluent, a process water stream and a drinking water source therefore need different assessments.
Our approach to industrial ozone water treatment and engineering starts by defining a measurable function for ozone within the overall process.
Already have PFAS results and a treatment layout? Send us your water analysis to discuss whether an ozone stage is worth testing.
How could ozone improve activated carbon performance?
A study published in Chemosphere in 2024 examined pre-ozonation ahead of different granular activated carbons. It found improved PFAS adsorption performance for some carbons, associated with changes in natural organic matter and reduced micropore blockage.
The benefit depended on the carbon’s properties. The findings support testing this combination on representative water, rather than assuming the same improvement for every industrial effluent. Read the study on ozone and activated carbon for PFAS removal.
Depending on the application, a combined process may be investigated for three purposes:
- Improving adsorption conditions by changing the organic matter that can interfere with PFAS uptake on carbon.
- Treating co-contaminants that respond to oxidation where the water presents several quality challenges.
- Improving overall operating performance where measured benefits justify the additional equipment, energy and maintenance.
Longer carbon service life or lower operating costs are potential objectives to validate through testing. They should not be assumed from adding ozone alone.
Define ozone’s role before selecting equipment
Conventional ozonation is not a reliable destruction method for persistent PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS. Adding hydrogen peroxide does not, by itself, justify a claim of PFAS destruction.
Oxidation can also transform some precursors into measurable PFAS, potentially including compounds that are harder to capture. A pilot study of ozone and ozone/hydrogen peroxide treatment highlights why these changes need to be monitored.
Validation must therefore assess PFAS at the final outlet alongside overall water quality. Improved colour, chemical oxygen demand (COD) or oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) does not demonstrate PFAS removal. PFAS performance requires appropriate laboratory analysis.
Integrating ozone into a combined treatment system
One configuration to assess is water pretreatment, followed by ozonation, residual ozone control and a suitably selected activated carbon stage. Intermediate biofiltration may be considered to remove biodegradable organic compounds formed during oxidation. It should not be treated as a PFAS removal barrier in its own right.
Anion exchange or membrane separation may supplement or replace particular stages, depending on the substances targeted. Equipment sequencing must account for compatibility with oxidants. A benefit demonstrated with activated carbon cannot automatically be extended to resins or membranes.
For an existing plant, the feasibility assessment also needs to address space, hydraulic connections, utilities and controls. OXYTRADING UK can support the integration of ozone into existing industrial water systems.
What should a trial establish?
Initial assessment covers flow rate, variations in water composition, organic carbon, pH, temperature and the PFAS profile. Bromide should also be considered when assessing the potential for bromate formation during ozonation.
Comparing treatment with and without ozone helps establish its actual contribution. Depending on the project, trials should examine PFAS concentrations at relevant stages, selected precursors, by-products and changes in carbon performance over time. A single outlet sample cannot establish carbon service life.
The assessment should also include energy use, media replacement and residual waste management. Together, these results help determine whether an ozone stage offers a worthwhile improvement in treatment performance and whole-life cost.
Where appropriate, ozone water treatment skid hire for UK trials can provide equipment for the ozonation part of a comparative pilot. Carbon columns, PFAS sampling and specialist analysis must be included in the wider trial scope.
Discuss your PFAS treatment project with OXYTRADING UK
OXYTRADING UK provides specialist ozone engineering and system integration, working alongside the expertise needed for the PFAS treatment stages. We help define ozone’s intended contribution, assess feasibility and develop a suitable generation, injection and control package.
Depending on the application, this can include oxygen supply, ozone generation, gas-to-liquid transfer, contact equipment and instrumentation. Off-gas destruction, ambient ozone detection and safety interlocks are incorporated into the system design.
Generator capacity is only one part of a successful installation. Hydraulic design, transfer efficiency, control and integration with downstream treatment determine how effectively the ozone stage operates.
Send us your flow rate, water and PFAS analyses, intended use or discharge route, treatment targets and a description of your current equipment. We can review whether ozone merits further investigation and help define the next testing or engineering step.
Request an ozone integration assessment for your PFAS treatment project