The aim of this research was the evaluation of performance efficiency of a continuous treatment process,
integrating bubbles-less ozonation and membrane filtration for water purification. A new bench-scale
experimental apparatus was designed, comprising of two ceramic membrane modules, connected in
series. In the first module, bubble-free ozone contacting takes place via a modified α-Al2O3 membrane.
Chemical modification of a-Al2O3 membranes was performed with four different modifying solutions in
order to change their hydrophilic behavior and thus, to reduce membrane resistance to ozone transfer.
The hydrophobic character of initial and modified membranes was examined by contact angle
measurements. The results showed that the chemical modification of membranes decreased the
hydrophilic character of the original membranes and in certain cases transform them to hydrophobic.
The values of measured contact angles were between 761 and 1431. In the second treatment module (in
series), a microfiltration or ultrafiltration ceramic membrane was placed in order to separate suspended
particles, macromolecules and/or arsenic. The hybrid process was evaluated for the treatment of aqueous
solutions, contaminated by humic acid, kaolin (clay) and/or arsenic. The results indicated that the
combination of ozone with membrane filtration limits fouling (around 25%) and improves the removal of
arsenic (up to 80% removal), although it had no effect on TOC reduction.