Ozone and UV/H₂O₂-generated hydroxyl radicals oxidize endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) as water passes through a reactor. The removal follows a pseudo-first-order law referenced to the CT value (concentration × contact time), the same metric water engineers use for disinfection/oxidation design:
CT = [O3] · t (mg·min/L)
C(t) = C0 · exp(-k · CT)
Removal % = 100 · (1 - exp(-k · CT))
Each molecule you see is carried along the reactor (top scene) at the flow velocity set by the contact-time slider; its size and color fade as its local CT value accumulates, exactly mirroring the concentration decay it has undergone by that point in the tank. The lower panel plots the same C(t)/C0 decay curve against contact time, with a marker showing exactly where your current slider settings land on it.
- Ozone dose — the applied [O₃], the CT driver alongside time.
- Contact time — how long water sits in the reactor before the outlet; longer time = higher CT for the same dose.
- UV/H₂O₂ boost — switches the pathway from direct ozone attack to hydroxyl-radical oxidation, which reacts with EDCs several-fold faster (modeled here as a rate-constant multiplier), the basis of real Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP).
- Compound — BPA and phthalates react with ozone/•OH at different intrinsic rates; phthalates are markedly slower to oxidize, so they need more CT for the same removal.
- Status pill — flags whether the simulated outlet concentration has dropped below an illustrative low-dose bioassay threshold, echoing the real finding that EDCs can disrupt hormone signaling even at trace, sub-ppb concentrations.
Real-world relevance: ozonation and AOPs are the primary tertiary-treatment barriers municipal and industrial plants use to strip endocrine disruptors — from pharmaceutical residues to plastic-additive runoff — out of wastewater before discharge.