Abstract
Trihalomethanes (THMs) are formed during the water chlorination process through the reaction between chlorine and the organic materials. In this research, montmorillonite (MMT) and its modified form were used to remove the THMs from the water. The optimum conditions for the best adsorption capacity were evaluated using the Taguchi design of experiments. The result of comparing MMT with its modified sulfonated form (SMMT) indicated that SMMT is a more effective adsorbent than MMT. The evaluations showed that the optimum conditions for the THMs removal occur at 20 °C, 10 mg of adsorbent, 1 mg/L of THMs concentration, and 120 min for the adsorption time. The maximum adsorption capacity of CHCl3, CHBrCl2, CHBr2Cl, and CHBr3 was achieved: 0.49, 0.45, 0.43, and 0.38 mg/g at C0=0.10 mg/L; 1.71, 1.62, 1.56, and 1.45 mg/g at C0=0.50 mg/L; and 4.43, 4.35, 4.23, and 3.67 mg/g for C0=5.00 mg/L, respectively. The THMs adsorption was compared between SMMT, powdered activated carbon (PAC), and granular activated carbon (GAC) and the results showed that SMMT is as effective as PAC and better than GAC and its production cost is lower than for the activated carbon.
Highlights
Trihalomethanes (THMs) are a group of chemicals which are the product of substituting the halogen atoms (F, Cl, Br, I) with three hydrogen atoms of methane
THMs were categorized as class A carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1975
Using the Minitab software (Minitab Inc., PA, USA) and the design of experiments based on the Taguchi design, a number of tests for the four control factors, i.e., the adsorption temperature, the contact time, the adsorbent amount, and the initial concentration of THMs were run at three levels: adsorption temperature (10, 20, and 30 °C), contact time (10, 60, and 120 min), amount of adsorbent (10, 25, and 50 mg), and the total concentration of THMs (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/L)
Summary
Trihalomethanes (THMs) are a group of chemicals which are the product of substituting the halogen atoms (F, Cl, Br, I) with three hydrogen atoms of methane. The humic substances are the organic materials, which are widely spread in the aquatic environment They are the major components of the natural organic matter and one of the important precursors of the THMs, most of which cannot be removed by the usual treatment processes. Because these materials produce the mutagenic and carcinogenic organic halogenated compounds during the chlorination of water, the THMs’ removal from the drinking water is a critical undertaking.[2]. THMs were categorized as class A carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1975 Both organizations emphasized on the necessity of removing these compounds from the drinking water. The USEPA guideline for the total THMs is 80 μg/L, while the guideline of WHO is 560 μg/L.3,4,5
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
