Effect of Nitrite on the Formation of Trichloronitromethane (TCNM) During Chlorination of Polyhydroxy-Phenols and Sugars

Gan, Guojuan; Qiu, Lin; Wu, Huan; Hong, Huachang; Mazumder, Asit; Pan, Xiangliang; Liang, Yan

Effect of Nitrite on the Formation of Trichloronitromethane (TCNM) During Chlorination of Polyhydroxy-Phenols and Sugars

2017

Occurrence of halonitromethanes (HNMs) in drinking water has been a concern recently due to the potentially high human health risks of HNMs. Mechanisms of formation of HNMs during disinfection has remained controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nitrite on the formation of trichloronitromethane (TCNM), a dominant HNM species occurring in chlorinated water. Polyhydroxy-phenols (hydroquinone, catechol, resorcinol, and phloroglucinol) and sugars (glucose, maltose, and lactose) were compared as surrogates/model compounds of common organic precursors of humic and non-humic substances in natural organic matter, respectively. The results showed that TCNM was not detectable after chlorinated sugars with the addition of nitrite. Upon chlorinating the polyhydroxy-phenols, TCNM formation varied greatly among different compounds, i.e., resorcinol > phloroglucinol > catechol >> hydroquinone. The results demonstrated that TCNM formation in the presence of nitrite was a function of aromaticity as well as the position and number of hydroxyl groups on the benzene rings of a compound, and the TCNM formation potential of humic substances was greater than that of non-humic substances. For catechol, resorcinol, and phloroglucinol, TCNM formation varied greatly with pH but generally remained stable with the increase of reaction time and temperature.

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