Column Reactor Research Articles

Nanobiopolymer: Potential Applications in Bioremediation of Cadmium Contaminated Water

Nanobiopolymer nanotechnology, bacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), has been used markedly for various water treatments.EPS has polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids, which have functional groups such as amino, sulfhydryl, carboxylic, and phosphate groups that allow binding to metal ions. The accumulation of the metal ions onto the EPS bacterial cell walls is used widely in the bioremediation of cadmium and other metals. This study objectives were extracting EPSs from the bacterium Bacillus subtilis 168 Cd2 and investigating their cadmium adsorption in bead column reactors after being immobilized with calcium alginate. For comparison with the bacterium's role, B. subtilis 168 Cd2 was used before EPS extraction and immobilized with calcium alginate, as well as a comparison with the use of calcium alginate. Cadmium adsorption from solution onto calcium alginate beads with untreated B. subtilis 168 Cd2 and EPS-free B. subtilis 168 Cd2 and under different pH (4.00, 7.00, and 7.50) were studied. The percentages of adsorption onto untreated B. subtilis 168 Cd2 and EPS-free B. subtilis 168 Cd2 were determined and were 89% and 77%, respectively. The adsorption of these were reduced when the pH increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the changes in the morphology of the adsorbents, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry analysis recorded the cumulative concentrations of cadmium in the adsorbents after the cadmium adsorption process. EPS in untreated B. subtilis 168 Cd2 significantly enhanced cadmium adsorption percentages. The fewer carboxyl and phosphate groups in EPS-free B. subtilis 168 Cd2 decreased cadmium adsorption. The results obtained in this study are of fundamental significance for applying nano biopolymers nanotechnology environmental biotechnology and bioremediation.

Axial strength of fibrous reactive powder concrete circular columns

In this paper, a formula is proposed to calculate the nominal axial strength (Po) of fibrous reactive powder concrete (RPC) columns reinforced with steel fibres of different geometries and volume contents. The formula takes into account the effects of concrete, longitudinal reinforcement, transverse constraints, geometry of steel fibres and their volume content. A comparison is made with existing formulations that consider only for concrete and steel reinforcement. The proposed formula has been verified and validated by the experimental results of different types of steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) columns in the literature. The results show that the current formulation considering only concrete and reinforcement significantly underestimatesPo of fibrous RPC columns. Furthermore, it is found that the proposed formula well predicts the nominal axial strength for fibrous RPC columns with an accuracy of 97–99%.

Methane Pyrolysis in a Liquid Metal Bubble Column Reactor for CO2-Free Production of Hydrogen

In light of the growing interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier and reducing agent, various industries, including the iron and steel sector, are considering the increased adoption of hydrogen. To meet the rising demand in energy-intensive industries, the production of hydrogen must be significantly expanded and further developed. However, current hydrogen production heavily relies on fossil-fuel-based methods, resulting in a considerable environmental burden, with approximately 10 tons of CO2 emissions per ton of hydrogen. To address this challenge, methane pyrolysis offers a promising approach for producing clean hydrogen with reduced CO2 emissions. This process involves converting methane (CH4) into hydrogen and solid carbon, significantly lowering the carbon footprint. This work aims to enhance and broaden the understanding of methane pyrolysis in a liquid metal bubble column reactor (LMBCR) by utilizing an expanded and improved experimental setup based on the reactor concept previously proposed by authors from Montanuniversitaet in 2022 and 2023. The focus is on investigating the process parameters’ temperature and methane input rate with regard to their impact on methane conversion. The liquid metal temperature exhibits a strong influence, increasing methane conversion from 35% at 1150 °C to 74% at 1250 °C. In contrast, the effect of the methane flow rate remains relatively small in the investigated range. Moreover, an investigation is conducted to assess the impact of carbon layers covering the surface of the liquid metal column. Additionally, a comparative analysis between the LMBCR and a blank tube reactor (BTR) is presented.

Modeling Wet Air Oxidation of Sodium Acetate in a Bubble Column

Scale-up bubble columns for wet air oxidation (WAO) represent a novel solution to the growing problem of sodium acetate-containing waste discharge. This study used an axial dispersion model to simulate a reactor at a high temperature of 320 °C. By minimizing the structure size and gas fed into the system, the estimated optimal reactor dimensions were obtained. At the optimized reactor diameter, total height, initial oxygen partial pressure, and superficial gas velocity of 1 m, 7 m, 40 bar, and 0.07 m/s, respectively, a degradation efficiency of over 90% was obtained, at which the residual concentration of sodium acetate degraded from 700 mol/m3 to 70 mol/m3. The axial distributions of the dissolved oxygen, sodium acetate, and oxygen concentrations in the gas were nearly uniform. The bubble column reactor exhibited an intermediate state between well-mixed flow and plug flow for both liquid and gas.

Optimized fed-batch cultivation of Rhodotorula toruloides in a bubble column bioreactor progressed the β-carotene production from corn steep liquor.

In this work, a new isolate yeast, namely Rhodotorula toruloides KP324973, was examined for β-carotene production from corn steep liquor (CSL) as a sole carbon source because CSL as the by-product of corn wet-milling process mainly enriched from the water-soluble carbohydrates. The studies were preliminary performed at the shaken flasks, and then developed at batch and fed-batch modes in a bubble column reactor (BCR). Application of the BCR improved the carotenogenesis of the cells in comparison with shaken flasks and the specific β-carotene production rate (Rp) and the yield of β-carotene production from the total reducing sugars (YP/TRS) reached 2.23 mg gcell-1 h-1 and 36.82 mg gTRS-1, respectively. Further studies were carried out to optimize the operational factors of the BCR for a fed-batch production by the response surface methodology. An optimal condition at a feed flow rate of 2.5 mL h-1, temperature 11.7°C, and initial pH of 6.1 obtained the highest Rp = 12.31 mg gcell-1 h-1 and YP/TRS = 97.18 mg gTRS-1.

Analysis of CO2 hydrate formation from flue gas mixtures in a bubble column reactor

Gigascale carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is increasingly seen as essential to meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. As an alternative to conventional CCS approaches, carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrates have received attention as materials which can enable new approaches to carbon capture as well as carbon sequestration. CO2 hydrates (ice-like materials of CO2 and water) form at medium pressures (<400 psi) and temperatures of >0 °C from a water-CO2 mixture. Bubble column reactors (BCR) have been studied as a preferred way of forming CO2 hydrates. This study uses an inhouse, recently-developed modeling framework to predict performance of a BCR for CO2 hydrate formation from flue gas (CO2/N2), and pure CO2 streams. We highlight and analyze specific aspects of hydrate formation that are important for CO2 sequestration, and for CO2 separation/capture. In particular, two performance parameters are analyzed: i) gas consumption rate for hydrate formation (normalized with reactor volume), and ii) fraction of CO2 that converts to CO2 hydrates in a single pass (conversion factor). The first metric quantifies the overall productivity of a BCR by obtaining the net CO2 that can be sequestered or separated from the flue gas stream. The second metric relates to the efficiency of the system by quantifying the need for recirculation and the quality of the exit stream after a single pass. Extensive parametric analysis is conducted to study the influence of pressure, temperature, CO2 mole fraction at inlet, gas flow rate and reactor geometry on hydrate formation. Across the range of simulations conducted in this study, the highest gas consumption rate per unit reactor volume was 28.9 ton/yr/m3 and the highest conversion factor was 67.8 %. Both parameters increase with increasing pressure, decreasing temperature and increasing inlet mole fraction of CO2. Increasing gas flow rate increases the gas consumption rate (i.e., hydrate formation rate) but reduces the conversion factor. This suggests that the overall productivity of BCRs increases with gas flow rate at the expense of its efficiency. Reduced efficiency increases recirculation-related costs and high flow rate increases compression and cooling costs. For flue gas, increasing the reactor volume by increasing the height or diameter increases conversion factor but significantly reduces the gas consumption rate per unit reactor volume. For pure CO2, increasing the reactor height increases the conversion factor without changing the volumetric gas consumption rate. Decreasing the diameter increases volumetric gas consumption rate without changing the conversion factor. These findings suggest that compact reactors are more suitable for CO2 hydrate slurry production (on a volumetric basis), while larger reactors are suitable for CO2 separation/capture applications. Overall, this study provides a basis for the design and operation of BCRs for CO2 hydrates-based CCS applications.

The Influence of Draft Tubes on the Mass Transfer and Mixing Performance of a Pilot-Scale Internal-Loop Airlift Reactor

The hydrodynamic characteristics, mass transfer, and mixing performance of three different reactors, a bubble column reactor (BCR), a single-stage internal-loop airlift reactor (SSALR), and a four-stage internal-loop airlift reactor (FSALR), were investigated systematically through cold model experiments to explore the influence of draft tube configurations on the pilot-scale internal-loop airlift reactor (ILAR). The findings indicated that the BCR yielded a higher gas holdup and mass transfer coefficient due to its longer bubble residence time. Segmenting the draft tube improved the gas holdup in both the riser and downcomer, and the overall gas holdup in the downcomer increased by 9%. Compared with the SSALR, the mass transfer coefficient of the FSALR in the riser and downcomer increased by 10.2% and 9.3% on average, respectively. In addition, a higher liquid circulating velocity was obtained with the ILARs due to a higher gas holdup difference between the riser and the downcomer. Specifically, the liquid circulating velocity of the FSALR was 134.1% higher than that of the BCR and 15.8% higher than that of the SSALR. The mixing time of the ILARs was reduced due to more intense overall circulation. The mixing effect of the FSALR was the best. The mixing time was reduced by 70.2% and 51.3% compared with the BCR and SSALR for UG ranging from 4.0 cm/s to 9.1 cm/s, respectively. Empirical correlations were proposed for the gas holdup, liquid circulating velocity, mass transfer coefficient, and mixing time on the superficial gas velocity, and agreement with experimental data was satisfactory.

Fire resistance of steel reinforced reactive powder concrete columns

Steel reinforced reactive powder concrete (SRRPC) columns have been widely used in structures due to their excellent mechanical properties. However, owing to inadequate experimental data and a lack of design basis for SRRPC columns at high temperatures, which limits the application and development of this structure in practical engineering. Five SRRPC columns with different loads were experimentally investigated at high temperatures. Additionally, 15 sets of specimens were analyzed by using numerical simulation method of thermo-mechanical coupling, and the rules of steel ratio, rebar ratio, and number of heating surfaces on the fire resistance of SRRPC columns were obtained. The test results revealed that the fire resistance decreased by 52.7% when the axial compression ratio increased from 0.2 to 0.6; The fire resistance increased by 17.79% when the steel ratio increased from 4.08% to 10.21%; The fire resistance increased by 3.24% when the rebar ratio increased from 0.83% to 2.76%; The fire resistance decreased by 28.95% when the number of heating surfaces increased from single-face heating to four-face heating. According to the variation rule of each parameter, the correlation degree of each parameter on the fire resistance was obtained, it concluded that the axial compression ratio had the highest correlation degree, followed by the number of heating surfaces, while the correlation degrees of steel ratio and rebar ratio were relatively small. A formula was proposed to predict the fire resistance of SRRPC columns, which can provide a reference for fire resistance evaluation, repair and reinforcement of SRRPC structures in fire.

Modeling of a bubble column for CO2 removal by absorption with NaOH

CO2 capture experiments were carried out in a small-scale bubble column reactor using alkaline solutions of sodium hydroxide. The results of the experiments show that a higher NaOH content in the liquid phase and elevated CO2 concentrations in the gas mixture led to a higher CO2 removal efficiency. A mathematical model was developed to describe the CO2 absorption as a function of CO2 gas inlet and OH- concentrations at low CO2 and OH- concentrations. The CO2 uptake at high OH- concentrations (high pH) was accurately predicted by the model, whereas the CO2 uptake at lower OH- concentrations could not be predicted with the same accuracy.

Process intensification in bio-jet fuel production: Design and control of a catalytic reactive distillation column for oligomerization

Biojet-fuel represents a promising avenue for decreasing CO2 emissions within the aviation industry. Among different biojet-fuel production processes, the Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) process stands out as highly promising. Despite its potential, the ATJ process currently faces economic challenges due to low yields and high energy usage. This study introduces a strategy for enhancing the economic feasibility of the ATJ process through process intensification, specifically by incorporating a novel reactive distillation column in the oligomerization stage. This innovative process was evaluated and compared with its conventional counterpart. The total annual cost, eco-indicator 99, and individual risk were chosen as critical parameters for assessing the improvements in cost, environmental impact, and safety brought about by the reactive column. Additionally, control studies were conducted using both Proportional-Integral (PI) and Model Predictive Control (MPC) controllers to determine the feasibility of operating the reactive distillation column. The results suggest that the reactive distillation process offers 20 % cost savings, reduces environmental impact by 50 %, and lowers risk by 22 % when compared to the conventional process. In terms of control strategies, the study found that the catalytic column can be successfully operated using both traditional feedback control and more advanced techniques, such as model predictive control.

Efficient removal of cationic dye using ZIF-8 based sodium alginate composite beads: Performance evaluation in batch and column systems

The environmental and health risks associated with dye contamination in water sources are alarming. Recently, researchers have been focusing on developing an innovative and susceptible solution using composite beads that effectively combat this issue. In this paper, beads were synthesized using a sodium alginate (SA) and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) through a simple dipping process. Several characterization tests were performed including XRD, FTIR, BET, TGA, and SEM-EDX. The SEM images confirmed that SA effectively coated the cubical structure of the ZIF-8, ensuring optimal performance. The efficiency of the resulting SA@ZIF-8 composite beads was tested on both synthetic malachite green dye and real industrial wastewater samples using batch and fixed bed column reactors. The findings revealed that maximum adsorption of 95.5% was achieved at pH 6 in 120 min of reaction time. FTIR and SEM analysis also confirmed the adsorption of MG dye onto the beads. The Freundlich isotherm model (R2 > 0.99) has a better fit than the Langmuir (R2 > 0.96) for describing the adsorption process. The PSO model predicted the kinetics of the system, whereas the intraparticle diffusion study supported the system's mechanistic analysis. Furthermore, the study also investigated the efficacy of the beads in treating real wastewater effluent samples collected from the dye industry. Overall, using sodium alginate-coated ZIF-8 beads was found to have many advantages over powdered ZIF-8, including higher selectivity, stability, reusability, and practicality, making them a promising alternative for adsorption applications. Therefore, these composite beads have the potential for the removal of the dye from wastewater, which could be widely applied in various industries.

Euler-Lagrange Simulations of Microstructured Bubble Columns Using a Novel Cutting Model.

In the concept of a microstructured bubble column reactor, meshes coated with catalyst can cut the bubbles, which in turn results in high interfacial area and enhanced interface hydrodynamics. In previous work, we developed a closure model for the fate of bubbles interacting with a wire mesh based on the outcomes of energy balance analysis. In this paper, the model is validated using Euler-Lagrange simulations against two experimental cases of microstructured bubble columns. Before validation of the model, the definition of the deceleration thickness, as used in the calculation of the virtual mass term, is refined to introduce the effects of liquid viscosity and wire thickness. Proceeding with the validation, the inclusion of our cutting closure model results in an excellent match of the bubble size reduction by the wire mesh with the experimental data. Consequently, the simulations produce a more accurate prediction of the reactor performance for the gaseous reaction in view of the pH and gas holdup profiles. The effect of liquid viscosity on the bubble size reduction by the wire mesh is replicated accurately as well. Noticeably, the significance of bubble coalescence and breakup in bubble dynamics overperforms the role of bubble cutting at high superficial gas velocities; thus, further improvement is needed there. Finally, based on the validated cutting model, we share some perspectives on the design of wire meshes to increase the bubble interfacial area.

Peptide‐based Organocatalyst on Stage: Functionalizing Mesoporous Silica by Tetrazine‐Norbornene Ligation

AbstractOrganocatalysis via the enamine mechanism developed to one of the most relevant tools in carbonyl chemistry and is widely used in asymmetric organic synthesis. In this work, a strategy is presented to conveniently immobilize a peptide‐based catalyst on silica supports for use in continuous flow catalysis reactions. A set of different porous silica supports is investigated spanning from mesoporous silica particles with defined pore sizes suitable for packed bed column reactors to silica monoliths with hierarchical meso‐macropore spaces. While the silica supports are functionalized with norbornene entities, the peptide‐based organocatalyst is modified with a tetrazine moiety, enabling the immobilization via inverse electron‐demand Diels‐Alder (IEDDA) reaction. The ligation results in catalyst loadings up to 0.2 mmol g‐1, without compromising the mesopore network. The catalytic activity of the materials is proven by the asymmetric C−C coupling reaction of n‐butanal to ß‐nitrostyrene proceeding in high yield and enantioselectivity in both batch and continuous flow setups.

Process configurations to lower the temperature of methane pyrolysis in a molten metal bath for hydrogen production

Novel configurations of a process for methane pyrolysis using a molten catalyst bubble column reactor are proposed in this study. These configurations aim to achieve reasonable conversion at temperatures below 1000 °C by recycling a fraction of the hot reactor product gas. Three recycling configurations are assessed: the first utilizes an ejector, the second employs a compressor, and the third combines a compressor with a turbo-expander. The performance of these configurations was evaluated using ASPEN HYSYS to compare them against a reference cycle without recycling. The evaluation criteria included methane conversion and the thermal heat requirement of the reactor. The results indicate that recycling can significantly increase methane conversion, with a maximum improvement of 165%. Specifically, when recycling 80% of the hot products in the first pass conversion using the third configuration, methane conversion increased from 17.8% to 47.2%. The other two configurations achieved conversions of 28%, representing a 57% increase from the baseline of 17.8% under the same conditions. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve a configuration with zero net CO2 emissions by employing renewable power and utilising some of the hydrogen product for combustion to meet the process heat demand.

Aerobic Sludge Granulation: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Fluid Flow Patterns in Bubble Column Reactors

Aerobic Sludge Granulation: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Fluid Flow Patterns in Bubble Column Reactors

Thermodynamic analysis of biodiesel production with catalyst and non-catalyst process: incase energy analysis

Biodiesel production from renewable resources needs a certain amount of energy Input. The effectiveness of biodiesel production depends on the energy ratio, i.e. the ratio of energy contained in the biodiesel to the energy input during production, including energy content in the feedstock. The objective of the study is aimed to evaluate the energy ratio in biodiesel production. The input and output energy were analyzed for each process (catalyst and analysist). Materials required in biodiesel production was evaluated in term of their energy content. The equipment used to obtain data on the non-catalytic biodiesel production process was a prototype bubble column reactor designed by the Department of Global Agricultural Sciences at The University of Tokyo, Japan and data on the catalytic biodiesel production process was obtained from the Center for Design and Technology System Engineering, BPPT Serpong,by the design of the equipment owned by the institution. The results showed that the energy ratio and the energy needed to produce per kilogram of biodiesel using the non-catalytic production method with a modified process were 1.00 and 39.63 MJ/kg while using the catalytic method were 0.98 and 41.05 MJ/kg, respectively. The non-catalytic production method with a modified process is better than the catalytic method in energy ratio. The energy needed to produce per kilogram of biodiesel due to the heat exchanger is critical for the performance improvement of the modified non-catalytic process.

Nonlinear-finite-element analysis of reactive powder concrete columns subjected to eccentric compressive load

AbstractStudies on the behavior of reactive powder concrete (RPC) columns under eccentric loading are limited. The effect of materials used in manufacturing these RPC columns has not yet been investigated. This research aimed to perform a nonlinear-finite-element analysis to determine the load-carrying capacity and displacement of RPC columns made of different RPC mixes and subjected to various loading eccentricities. This research investigates two types of parameters. The first parameter is the column’s geometric parameters (the heightLand the load eccentricity distancee). The second is the RPC material parameter (regarding the silica fume or fly ash used as pozzolanic material and the type of fibers used, whether steel or glass fiber). Results indicate that eccentric-loaded slender columns exhibit much less load-carrying capacity than the corresponding short columns. The 2 m-long columns with eccentricity ratioe/t= 0.2 resulted in a 65% average reduction in the ultimate load (Pu) compared to the corresponding 1 m-long columns. Using fly ash as a pozzolanic material instead of silica fume reduces the ultimate load (Pu) of an RPC column by an average of 60%. Using glass fibers instead of steel fibers also reduced Pu by 50%. The average percentage increase in the maximum vertical deflection (Δymax) of the short column (L= 1 m) is found in the range of 18–31% for eccentricity ratioe/t= 0.1 but 45–69% fore/t= 0.2. In contrast, for a slender column (L= 2 m), the percentage increase in Δymaxis in the range of 10–30% for bothe/t= 0.1 and 0.2.

Development, validation and implementation of multiple radioactive particle tracking technique

Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking (CARPT) technique has been successfully utilized to measure the velocity profiles and mixing parameters in different multiphase flow systems where a single radioactive tracer is used to track the tagged phase. However, many industrial processes use a wide range of particles with different physical properties where solid particles could vary in size, shape and density. For application in such systems, the capability of current single tracer CARPT can be advanced to track more than one particle simultaneously. Tracking multiple particles will thus enable to track the motion of particles of different size shape and density, determine segregation of particles and probing particle interactions. In this work, a newly developed Multiple Radioactive Particle Tracking technique (M-RPT) used to track two different radioactive tracers is demonstrated. The M-RPT electronics was developed that can differentiate between gamma counts obtained from the different radioactive tracers on the basis of their gamma energy peak. The M-RPT technique was validated by tracking two stationary and moving particles (Sc-46 and Co-60) simultaneously. Finally, M-RPT was successfully implemented to track two phases, solid and liquid, simultaneously in three phase slurry bubble column reactors.

Technoeconomic assessment of hydrogen production from natural gas pyrolysis in molten bubble column reactors

Natural gas pyrolysis to produce carbon and hydrogen, known as “turquoise hydrogen, using molten metals and salts is a promising route to clean hydrogen production. Methane pyrolysis produces significantly less or near-zero CO2. Additionally, the solid carbon can be separated and sold as a valuable co-product, making industrial-scale production of hydrogen via pyrolysis economically attractive. To better understand the potential of turquoise hydrogen, this study presents a comparative techno-economic assessment of molten media pyrolysis processes in bubble column reactors using Ni0.27Bi0.73, Ga, and KCl–MnCl2 (33:67). The study evaluates techno-economic assessment with a clear understanding of kinetics of natural gas pyrolysis and reactor process modeling. According to the modeling results, Ga had the lowest reactor cost and total bare erected cost. Nevertheless, the pyrolysis process that used inexpensive KCl–MnCl2 molten salt was more economically advantageous. Due to uncertainties in the density separation of solid carbon in the molten salt at temperatures above 1000 °C, Ni0.27Bi0.73 was selected as the promising molten medium for the long term. Sensitivity analyses were carried out to assess the impact of the costs of natural gas, hydrogen, and electricity on the industrial concept. In regions where gas is produced, such as Saudi Arabia, mature molten pyrolysis plants that use grid electricity at a rate of $48/MWh and solar photovoltaic systems with storage at a rate of $24/MWh can be economically feasible at natural gas prices of $132/ton and $198/ton, respectively, even if carbon is not sold. The cost of producing turquoise H2 is comparable to the global average for grey H2 and selling carbon can generate additional revenue or improve the profitability of the plant. The net energy demand of the molten pyrolysis plant is found to be approximately 21% of the energy requirement for current methods of green hydrogen production through PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolysis.

Combining α-Al2O3 Packing Material and a ZnO Nanocatalyst in an Ozonized Bubble Column Reactor to Increase the Phenol Degradation from Wastewater

The ozonation reaction in a bubble column reactor (BCR) has been widely used in the removal of phenol from wastewater, but the phenol removal efficiency in this type of reactor is limited because of low ozone solubility and reactivity in the system. In the present study, the phenol degradation in the BCR was enhanced by using α-Al2O3 as a packing material and a ZnO nanocatalyst. The reactor diameter and height were 8 cm and 180 cm, respectively. The gas distributor was designed to include 52 holes of a 0.5 mm diameter. Also, the gas holdup, pressure drop, and bubble size were measured as a function of the superficial gas velocity (i.e., 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 cm/s). The evaluation of the hydrodynamic parameters provided a deeper understanding of the ozonation process through which to select the optimal operating parameters in the reactor. It was found that the best superficial gas velocity was 2.5 cm/s. A complete (100%) phenol removal was achieved for phenol concentrations of 15, 20, and 25 ppm at reaction times of 80, 90, and 100 min, respectively; this was achieved by using α-Al2O3 packing material and a ZnO nanocatalyst in the BCR. Additionally, a reaction kinetics study was conducted to describe the ozonation reaction in BCR. The first-order reaction assumption clearly describes the reaction kinetics with an R2 = 0.991. Finally, the applied treatment method can be used to efficiently remove phenol from wastewater at a low cost, with a small consumption of energy and a simple operation.