A Unified Kinetic–Process Framework for Advanced Oxidation Processes: From Radical Chemistry to Reactor-Scale Performance in Wastewater Treatment
Author: Dr. Ahmad Saylam
Document type: Open technical preprint
Version: v1
Publication date:
Scientific status: Matrix-aware engineering and screening framework supported by transparent kinetic and process calculations. Application to a specific wastewater, reactor or treatment train requires case-specific data and validation.
Preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19732395
Zenodo preprint record: https://zenodo.org/records/19732395
Abstract
Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are widely investigated for the removal of persistent organic contaminants from wastewater, yet their full-scale application remains limited by matrix effects, energy demand and scale-up challenges. A key difficulty lies in linking intrinsic reaction kinetics to reactor-scale performance under realistic conditions.
This work develops a unified kinetic–process framework that integrates radical generation, matrix-dependent scavenging and transport phenomena within a system-level description. The apparent first-order rate constant (kapp) is interpreted as an emergent parameter governing observable treatment performance.
Analysis of representative wastewater matrices shows that hydroxyl-radical consumption is dominated by dissolved organic carbon and inorganic species, reducing effective radical availability by several orders of magnitude compared with idealized laboratory systems. This provides a mechanistic explanation for the discrepancy between intrinsic reactivity and observed degradation rates.
AOP performance is further controlled by coupled kinetic–transport regimes in which mass transfer, radiation attenuation and hydrodynamics constrain radical availability and produce non-linear scale-up behaviour. A dimensionless formulation based on Damköhler, Sherwood, cavitation, Reynolds and optical-thickness parameters provides a consistent basis for interpreting rate-limiting mechanisms.
From an engineering perspective, treatment time and energy demand are inversely related to kapp, emphasizing the need for matrix-aware design, realistic performance metrics and process integration. The framework provides a structured basis for AOP screening, optimization and scale-up in wastewater treatment.
Scope and evidence boundary
The framework supports screening, interpretation, comparison and validation planning. It does not replace a complete radical-reaction mechanism, a validated reactor model, site-specific experiments, transformation-product analysis, toxicity assessment, equipment sizing or a final treatment-process design.
Automated software tests verify expected behaviour of the implemented calculations. They do not by themselves establish predictive validity for a real wastewater matrix, pollutant mixture, oxidant, irradiation system, catalyst or reactor.
Full text
The open preprint PDF and deposited files are available through the Zenodo record: access the Zenodo record and files .
License
The deposited work is identified as available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence .
Recommended preprint citation
Saylam, A. (2026). A Unified Kinetic–Process Framework for Advanced Oxidation Processes: From Radical Chemistry to Reactor-Scale Performance in Wastewater Treatment. Version v1. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19732395
Companion software repository
The public repository contains modular Python calculations, documentation, representative data, examples, automated tests and engineering interpretation guidance for matrix-aware AOP screening.
The software repository has a separate archival DOI. The preprint DOI above should be used when citing the scientific document; the repository DOI should be used when citing the software release.