A three-factor, three-level BoxeBehnken experimental design
combined with response surface modeling and quadratic programming
were employed to study the efficiency of sonophotolysis
process in an external loop airlift sonophotoreactor in batch mode.
The significance of independent variables (initial TOC concentration,
initial H2O2 dosage, and ultrasound power) and their interactions
were tested by means of the analysis of variance. The
initial H2O2 dosage and ultrasound power were determined as the
most influential factors in the studied range. The optimal variables
were found to be 12 mg L1 TOC, 1200 mg L1 H2O2, and an ultrasound
power of 140 W, which resulted in 98% of TOC removal.
The proposed model validity was verified by an additional batch
experiment conducted in the optimal operating conditions. The
validation results clearly confirmed with 95% certainty that the
three-factor, three-level BoxeBehnken experimental design is an
effective tool for mathematical modeling and factor analysis of the
sonophotolytic process. In the second part of this study, a novel
rigorous mathematical kinetic model was proposed to investigate
the TOC percent removal as a function of time by the sonophotolytic
process. The proposed kinetic model was developed based on
the extensively accepted detailed sonophotochemical reactions and
the rate constants in advanced oxidation processes. The adequacy
of the developed mathematical model was validated by comparing
the model predictions with a set of experimental data. The kinetic
rate constants were also estimated