Selective removal of dissolved organic matter affects the production and speciation of disinfection byproducts
2019
Williams, C. J. (Clayton J.) | Conrad, Dan | Kothawala, Dolly N. | Baulch, Helen M.
The heterogeneity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural and human impacted waters and the variety of drinking water treatment processes employed has made a mechanistic understanding of disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation challenging. In this study, we examined the formation of the regulated DBPs (Trichloromethanes, THM, and Haloacetic acids, HAA) during full-scale water treatment operations both with prechlorination treatment (normal operations for the drinking water plant) and without (altered operations); followed by coagulation, flocculation, filtration, and chlorination. The source water DOM concentration ranged 6.4 to 7.3 mg-C/L. DOM composition was moderately humic and degraded with a mix of microbial- and terrestrial-like characteristics. Removal of raw water prechlorination caused an average reduction in total THM and HAA concentrations of 52.7% and 40.0%, respectively, with the greater reduction noted for chlorinated-DBPs rather than brominated-DBPs. Prechlorination treatment resulted in a higher relative production of Cl3CH and BrCl2CH associated with aromatic, humic, and terrestrial-like DOM. Without prechlorination, the DBP pool had higher proportions of brominated-DBPs (Br3CH, Br2ClCH, Br2CHCOOH, BrClCHCOOH, and BrCH2COOH) associated with microbial-like, processed humic-like, and protein-like DOM. These observed patterns could not be explained by chloride demand and DOM concentration, indicating that DOM composition played an important role in DBP formation.
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