Decomposition of trichloroethene on ozone-adsorbed high silica zeolites.

We developed a novel ozonation process for water treatment using high silica zeolites as an adsorptive concentrator of water-dissolved ozone and organic pollutants, resulting in a significant increase in reaction rate. In experiments involving trichloroethene (TCE) decomposition using a tubular flow reactor, TCE decomposition was much greater in the presence of ZSM-5 (SiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) ratio=3000) than in its absence, possibly due to the high concentrations of ozone and TCE inside the adsorbent. The TCE conversion obtained in our experiments was found to reach its theoretically maximum limit.