US/O3 combination degradation of aniline in aqueous solution

The influencing factors and mechanism of ultrasound (US)/ozone (O3) combination degradation of aniline in water were investigated. An increment of approximately 64% of aniline reduction and 110% of TOC reduction were observed with respect to the addition of the separated O3 and US systems, proving US/O3 technology had significant synergetic effects. Excellent removal performance was observed in the degradation with US/O3. With the initial concentration of aniline at 100 mg l−1, the energy density of ultrasound at 0.1 W ml−1 and the flow rate of ozone at 2 mg min−1, the removal efficiency of aniline would be at least 82% and that of TOC would be at least 20% after reaction for 5 min. Major by-products included nitrobenzene, p-benzoquinone, p-aminophenol, carboxylic acid, etc.