Abstract
The main drawback of drinking water chlorination involves the formation of quite hazardous disinfection by-products (DBPs), represented mainly by halogenated species. Based on the authors’ monitoring data since 2002, the prevalence of chlorine over bromine in the composition of volatile DBPs was shown for the drinking water in Ufa (Russia). However, the situation was completely reversed in the case of semi-volatile DBPs. The principal goal of the present study involved rationalization of the results of the long-term monitoring. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of volatile DBPs. Identification of semi-volatile compounds was carried out with GC-MS, while gas chromatography with an atomic emission detector (GC-AED) was used for their quantification. A significant contribution of oxygen to the composition of semi-volatile compounds proves the decisive role of the dissolved organic matter oxidative destructive processes. Statistical analysis revealed notable linear correlations for trihalomethane and haloacetic acid formation vs. chlorine dose. On the contrary, halogenated semi-volatile products do not demonstrate any correlations with the water quality parameters or chlorine dose. Principal component analysis (PCA) placed them into separate groups. The results allow for proposing that formation of the organohalogenated species involved the fast penetration of bromine into the humic matter molecules and, further, their oxidative destruction by active chlorine.
Highlights
The quality of drinking water dramatically influences human health
A critical advantage of chlorination over alternative methods of disinfection involves its prolonged activity, which is crucial for big cities with extended water distribution networks, while its main drawback is the formation of numerous disinfection by-products (DBPs)
The results show that the variability of VOC and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) levels in aqueous chlorination does not depend on a single joint factor demonstrating linear correlation with these DBP classes
Summary
The quality of drinking water dramatically influences human health. Drinking water should satisfy the required hygienic standards, and disinfection represents one of the most important stages of water preparation and the most efficient tool to prevent diseases spreading through water [1]. Intensive anthropogenic impacts on drinking water sources lead to the inhibition of natural water self-purification processes. It may be accompanied by an increase in the abundance and assortment of phytoplankton and aquatic plants, resulting in humification [23]. Wastage of a notable portion of the dissolved oxygen on the oxidation of that additional organic matter induces an oxygen deficit and intensification of eutrophication. These changes lead to corresponding changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the chlorination by-products in drinking water. More and more industrial products appear in natural water and react with disinfecting agents at water treatment stations, producing novel DBPs [24,25,26,27,28,29]
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