| Abstract: | A study of the effectiveness of ozonation for the removal of nabam (disodium ethylenebisdithiocarbamate) from aqueous solutions was carried out. Nabam is the parent compound of a commonly used group of fungicides. The process of nabam degradation was followed in terms of several parameters such as nabam concentration, chemical oxygen demand (COD), sulphate ion concentration as a measure of the relative degree of mineralization of nabam, and the pH value of the solution. Ozonation accelerates the decomposition of nabam with the formation of sulphates and nitrates as final products. The intermediate decomposition products of nabam are more resistant to degradation by ozone than the parent compound. The amounts of ozone which are used in wastewater treatment plants for disinfection may be sufficient to remove both nabam and its decomposition products, at a low level of contamination, but if the concentration of nabam is too high the intermediate decomposition products can still be present. Lowering the pH of the medium favours the oxidation of nabam. |
