Ozonation influenced settleability, hydrophobicity and dewaterability of sludge.
The EPS in supernatant increased from 10.72 ± 0.65 mg/L to 607.45 ± 50.47 mg/L during ozonation.
The proteins/polysaccharides in supernatant increased from 1.40 ± 0.06 to 1.75 ± 0.08 after ozonation.
The dewaterability was related to the EPS constituent in supernatant and DDSCOD.
The mechanism involved matter transformations during ozonation was discussed.