Comparative effectiveness of sequential and synergistic (VUV/)UV and chlorine disinfection on DBPs and humic acid reduction

Abstract

The widespread use of chlorine during disinfection has led to the problems of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Recently, the combination of ultraviolet (UV, 254 nm) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 185 nm) with chlorine has been considered a promising strategy to mitigate the formation of DBPs. This study systematically evaluated the efficacy of six different disinfection methods in abating humic acid (HA), a common precursor of DBPs (UV-Chlorine, VUV/UV-Chlorine, Chlorine-UV, Chlorine-VUV/UV, UV/Chlorine, and VUV/UV/Chlorine). Under 40 mJ/cm2 UV fluence and 3 mg/L chlorine dose, the synergistic processes yielded DBP levels below 20 μg/L, whereas sequential disinfection resulted in DBP levels exceeding 100 μg/L. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the formation of DBPs between the two methods of chlorination followed by irradiation. However, for irradiation followed by chlorination, the addition of VUV led to an increase of 50 μg/L in trihalomethanes (THMs). As the irradiation time increased, the inclusion of VUV demonstrated enhanced control of DBP levels in the sequential disinfection process. Moreover, compared to UV/Chlorine, at 13 mg/L chlorine dose in VUV/UV/Chlorine process, the inclusion of VUV expedited the appearance of peak DBPs by two minutes and reduced the peak value by 25.6 %, but the DBP yield was 12.9 times higher than that at a chlorine dose of 3 mg/L. This study, comparing six combination disinfection methods, will provide deeper insights into precursor abatement and DBP control during drinking water disinfection.