The Application of Solar Radiation for the Treatment of Lake Water

The topic of this research is the use of solar radiation for reduction of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) content in surface waters. NOM in drinking water could cause several health problems, especially after contact with disinfecting chemicals. Solely solar radiation does not have enough energy for sufficient degradation of NOM, but in combination with heterogeneous photocatalyst - titanium dioxide (TiO2) and other chemicals the degradation potential could increase. A number of tests with lake water exposed to solar radiation in a non-concentrating reactor was performed and photodegradation of NOM for various combinations of doses and crystal structures of TiO2 with H2O2 was studied. Irradiation intensity was estimated from global radiation measurements. The best performance for the NOM degradation had combination of 1g/L TiO2 both anatase and rutile + solar radiation. Economically acceptable doses of H2O2 decrease the efficiency of the process.