Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) is an effective
technology
for advanced wastewater treatment, while the influence of coexisting
salts remains unclear and controversial. Here, we systematically explored
the influence of NaCl salinity on the reaction and mass transfer of
HCO through lab experiments, kinetic simulation, and computational
fluid dynamics modeling, and proposed that the trade-off between reaction
inhibition and mass transfer enhancement would affect the pollutants
degradation pattern under varying salinity. The increase of NaCl salinity
decreased ozone solubility and accelerated the futile consumption
of ozone and hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and the maximum •OH concentration under 50 g/L salinity was only 23%
of that without salinity. However, the increase of NaCl salinity also
significantly reduced the ozone bubble size and enhanced the interphase
and intraliquid mass transfer, with the volumetric mass transfer coefficient
being 130% higher than that without salinity. The trade-off between
reaction inhibition and mass transfer enhancement shifted under different
pH values and aerator pore sizes, and the oxalate degradation pattern
would change correspondingly. Besides, the trade-off was also identified
for Na2SO4 salinity. These results emphasized
the dual influence of salinity and offered a new theoretical perspective
on the role of salinity in the HCO process.