Chlorine Contact Time Research Articles

Optimization of the Disinfection Process in Potabilization Systems in Cuenca Alto Atoyac, Mexico

Access to drinking water in Cuenca Alto Atoyac (CAA), serving over 3.5 million people, is challenged by contamination and inadequate disinfection processes. This study investigates the use of oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) as a tool to optimize disinfection in CAA’s water systems. The research was conducted in three stages: an initial pilot phase with 10 sampled sources, expanding to 14 supply sources in the experimental phase, followed by analyses defining optimal chlorine dosing and contact times across two distinct hydrogeological zones. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified key factors, explaining 53.52% of water quality variability, while ORP measurements revealed significant differences in water quality among sources, with “Ameca” and “Pozo #2 Santa María Atlihuetzían” representing the extremes. Adjusted chlorine doses and contact times were tailored to local conditions, achieving target ranges and ensuring improved microbial control. In the final stage, significant correlations were established between ORP levels, chlorine doses, and total coliform concentration, supporting the effectiveness of ORP in guiding disinfection processes. Overall, chlorine doses of 0.3–1.5 mg/L with contact times around 15 min yielded ORP values (594–687 mV) optimal for CAA water safety.

Single pass saltwater disinfection using low voltage electrolysis: Potential implications for aquaculture systems

Open net pen saltwater aquaculture faces criticism due to the potential transmission of pathogens between fish farms and to wild stocks. To address this issue and improve the sustainability and growth of net pen farming, closed containment farms have been suggested, but the cost and feasibility of disinfecting large volumes of water in these types of farms is problematic. We explored the potential for using electrolysis to disinfect saltwater in a flow-through system with water flow velocities between 47 and 105 cm/s. This was the first step to investigating whether this technology could be applied to saltwater flow-through closed containment systems. Various voltage levels (3.3–9.0 V) were applied to generate chlorine from saltwater. We found the disinfection properties of the system varied with wattage (i.e., voltage × ampere), velocity of water flow over the electrodes, salinity of water, and residual chlorine contact time. Wattage was highly correlated with the production of chlorine, and this relationship was dependent on water flow (p = 0.0398). A slower flow velocity led to higher chlorine concentration, and the effect was more pronounced at higher wattages. Using a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model, we found the probability of full disinfection was increased by increasing wattage (p < 0.001) and the residual chlorine contact time (p < 0.001). The level of disinfection (count model) suggested the number of bacteria in the treated samples was determined by the interaction between wattage and flow (p = 0.0056) and the interaction between wattage and salinity (p < 0.001). The bacterial count was also associated with residual chlorine contact time (p < 0.001). The results of this study, although preliminary and limited in their scale, offering a potential solution for disinfecting large volumes of seawater, which could make closed containment fish farming in the ocean viable for reducing bacterial transmission within a farm and to wild fish stocks.

Regulated 1-2 Carbon Disinfection Byproducts do not Correlate with Cytotoxicity with Increasing Disinfectant Contact Time During Chlorination, Chlorination Followed by Chloramination or Granular Activated Carbon Followed by Chlorination.

Regulations typically use four trihalomethanes (THM4) and five haloacetic acids (HAA5) as metrics of consumer exposure to disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and their chronic health risks. Their use as exposure metrics assumes that their concentrations correlate with DBP-associated toxicity. For a chlorine-disinfected surface water, this study demonstrates that increasing chlorine contact time from 1 to 7 days was associated with a 62-76% increase in THM4 and HAA5 but a 40-47% decrease in total cytotoxicity. Thus, the use of THM4 and HAA5 may divert regulatory attention away from the low water age sections of distribution systems near treatment facilities that may feature the highest cytotoxicity but lowest THM4/HAA5 concentrations. Among common options to reduce THM4/HAA5, this study also shows that chlorine disinfection followed by chloramines for maintaining a distribution system residual did not substantially reduce cytotoxicity. Granular activated carbon followed by chlorine reduced cytotoxicity by 28-80%, even at the lowest water ages where cytotoxicity was maximized. These findings highlight the need to identify DBPs that better correlate with toxicity than THM4/HAA5 to serve as metrics of exposure. These metrics could help identify distribution system locations exhibiting higher consumer risk and develop modifications to disinfection systems that effectively reduce consumer risk.

Widespread Antioxidants during Storm Events Could Serve as Precursors of Regulated, Priority, and New Disinfection Byproducts.

Widely used antioxidants can enter the environment via urban stormwater systems and form disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during chlorination in downstream drinking water processes. Herein, we comprehensively investigated the occurrence of 39 antioxidants from stormwater runoff to surface water. After a storm event, the concentrations of the antioxidants in surface water increased by 1.4-fold from 102-110 ng/L to 128-139 ng/L. Widespread antioxidants during the stormwater event could transform into toxic DBPs during disinfection. Moreover, the yields of trihalomethanes, haloacetaldehydes, haloacetonitriles (HANs), and halonitromethanes during the chlorination of widely used antioxidants considerably increased with an increasing chlorine dose and contact time. Specifically, the yields of dichloroacetonitrile during the chlorination of diphenylamine (DPA) and N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) were higher than those of most reported amino acid precursors, indicating that DPA and 6PPD might be important precursors of HANs. Exploring the intermediates using GC × GC-time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry helped reveal potential pathways from DPA to HANs, whose formation could be attributed to the intermediate carbazole and indole moieties detected in this study. This study provides insights into the transport and transformation of commonly used antioxidants in a water environment and during water treatment processes, highlighting the potential risks of anthropogenic pollutants from a DBP perspective.

Intelligent dosing of sodium hypochlorite in municipal wastewater treatment plants: Experimental and modeling studies

Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), a disinfectant extensively employed in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), is frequently overdosed to ensure qualified effluent quality consistently. In light of the escalated disinfectant expenses and detrimental environmental impacts, it is critical to have a precise control model in place to enable intelligent dosing of NaClO. The lack of real-time disinfection evaluation indicators presents difficulties in precisely and swiftly regulating the dosage. Herein, the CT value (the product of residual chlorine concentration and contact time) was initially determined experimentally as a metric for assessing disinfection in municipal WWTPs. Fecal coliform (FC) concentrations become less than 1.0 × 103 MPN/L when the effluent CT value is regulated at 0.20 mg·min/L (calculated as Cl2). In addition, a model employing long short-term memory (LSTM) was developed to predict the dosage, utilizing simplified and suitable parameters such as COD, NH3-N concentration, flow rate, and historical dosage of NaClO as input factors, which demonstrated satisfactory performance (R2 = 0.948). Notably, dosage adjustments were made concurrently in response to CT value feedback. The intelligent dosing model under simultaneous feedforward and feedback control was applied at a full-scale WWTP for nearly two months, considerably reducing disinfectant consumption and meeting the discharge standard of FC.

Comparative analysis of chlorinated disinfection byproducts formation from 4-nitrophenol and 2-amino-4-nitrophenol during UV/post-chlorination

Nitrophenol compounds (NCs) are widely distributed in water environments and regarded as important precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Herein, 4-nitrophenol and 2-amino-4-nitrophenol were selected as representative NCs to explore chlorinated DBPs (Cl-DBPs) formation during UV/post-chlorination. Dichloronitromethane (DCNM), trichloronitromethane (TCNM), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), and trichloromethane (TCM) were formed from 4-nitrophenol and 2-amino-4-nitrophenol during UV/post-chlorination, and the yields of individual Cl-DBPs from 2-amino-4-nitrophenol were higher than those from 4-nitrophenol. Meantime, increasing chlorine contact time, UV fluence, and free chlorine dose could enhance Cl-DBPs formation, while much higher values of the three factors might decrease the yields of Cl-DBPs. Besides, alkaline pH could decrease the yields of halonitromethane (HNMs) and DCAN but increase the yields of TCM. Also, higher concentrations of 4-nitrophenol and 2-amino-4-nitrophenol would induce more Cl-DBPs formation. Subsequently, the possible formation pathways of DCNM, TCNM, DCAN, and TCM form 4-nitrophenol and 2-amino-4-nitrophenol during UV/post-chlorination were proposed according to transformation products (TPs) and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Notably, Cl-DBPs formed from 2-amino-4-nitrophenol presented higher toxicity than those from 4-nitrophenol. Among these generated Cl-DBPs, DCAN and TCNM posed higher cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, respectively. Furthermore, 4-nitrophenol, 2-amino-4-nitrophenol, and their TPs exhibited ecotoxicity. Finally, 4-nitrophenol and 2-amino-4-nitrophenol presented a high potential to produce DCNM, TCNM, DCAN, and TCM in actual waters during UV/post-chlorination, but the Cl-DBPs yields were markedly different from those in simulated waters. This work can help better understand Cl-DBPs formation from different NCs during UV/post-chlorination and is conducive to controlling Cl-DBPs formation.

Formation and control of disinfection by-products during the trichloroisocyanuric acid disinfection in swimming pool water

The increasing demand for trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) in swimming pool disinfection highlights the need to evaluate its applicability in terms of disinfection by-product (DBP) formation. Nevertheless, there is limited understanding of DBP formation and control during TCCA disinfection, particularly concerning the effects of various management parameters. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by comprehensively investigating DBP formation during TCCA chlorination, with a particular focus on assessing the contribution and interaction of influencing factors using Box-Behnken Design and response surface methodology. Results indicated that the concentrations of trichloroacetaldehyde, chloroform, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, and dichloroacetonitrile produced by TCCA disinfectant were 42.5%, 74.0%, 48.1%, 94.7% and 42.6% of those by the conventional sodium hypochlorite disinfectant, respectively. Temperature exhibited the most significant impact on chloroform formation (49%), while pH played a major role in trichloroacetaldehyde formation (44%). pH2 emerged as the primary contributor to dichloroacetic acid (90%) and trichloroacetic acid (93%) formation. The optimum water quality conditions were determined based on the minimum total DBPs (pH = 7.32, Temperature = 23.7 °C, [Cl−] = 437 mg/L). Chlorine dosage and contact time exhibited greater influence than precursor concentration on chloroform, dichloroacetonitrile, trichloroacetaldehyde, trichloroacetic acid, and total DBPs. Although the interaction between water quality parameters was weak, the interaction between disinfection operating parameters demonstrated substantial effects on DBP formation (8.56–19.06%). Furthermore, the DBP predictive models during TCCA disinfection were provided for the first time, which provides valuable insights for DBP control and early warning programs.

Inactivation of human coronaviruses using an automated room disinfection device

The emergence of more virulent and epidemic strains of viruses, especially in the context of COVID-19, makes it more important than ever to improve methods of decontamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of on-demand production of chlorine species to inactivate human coronaviruses. The commercial prototype disinfection unit was provided by Unipolar Water Technologies. The Unipolar device generates active chlorine species using an electrochemical reaction and dispenses the disinfectant vapour onto surfaces with an aspirator. The minimum effective concentration and exposure time of disinfectant were evaluated on human hepatoma (Huh7) cells using 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) assay and human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E), a surrogate for pathogenic human coronaviruses. We showed that chlorine species generated in the Unipolar device inactivate HCoV-229E on glass surfaces at ≥ 400 parts per million active chlorine concentration with a 5 min exposure time. Here, inactivation refers to the inability of the virus to infect the Huh7 cells. Importantly, no toxic effect was observed on Huh7 cells for any of the active chlorine concentrations and contact times tested.

Developing a hybrid model for predicting the reaction kinetics between chlorine and micropollutants in water

Understanding the reactivities of chlorine towards micropollutants is crucial for assessing the fate of micropollutants in water chlorination. In this study, we integrated machine learning with kinetic modeling to predict the reaction kinetics between micropollutants and chlorine in deionized water and real surface water. We first established a framework to predict the apparent second-order rate constants for micropollutants with chlorine by combining Morgan molecular fingerprints with machine learning algorithms. The framework was tuned using Bayesian optimization and showed high prediction accuracy. It was validated through experiments and used to predict the unreported apparent second-order rate constants for 103 emerging micropollutants with chlorine. The framework also improved the understanding of the structure-dependence of micropollutants’ reactivity with chlorine. We incorporated the predicted apparent second-order rate constants into the Kintecus software to establish a hybrid model to profile the time-dependent changes of micropollutant concentrations by chlorination. The hybrid model was validated by experiments conducted in real surface water in the presence of natural organic matter. The hybrid model could predict how much micropollutants were degraded by chlorination with varied chlorine contact times and/or initial chlorine dosages. This study advances fundamental understanding of the reaction kinetics between chlorine and emerging micropollutants, and also offers a valuable tool to assess the fate of micropollutants during chlorination of drinking water.

EFFECT OF CHEMICALS ON RECOVERY OF CLOGGED DRIP EMITTERS FOR MAXIMUM UTILIZATION OF TREATED EFFLUENT FOR IRRIGATION

The growth in agriculture production is possible with wastewater utilization using the advanced technology of Drip Irrigation System (DIS). Drip irrigation is negatively affected by emitter clogging which entails reduced emitter discharge and irrigation system efficiency. The role of acid and chlorine contact time in emitter recovery with treated effluent is crucial. A combination of phosphoric acid (30,20 and 10 minutes) and sodium hypochlorite contact times (30,25 and 20 minutes) was used to study the recovery of in-line labyrinth drippers clogged with Treated Effluent (TE). A 1.2 ml/L of phosphoric acid and 20 mg/l of sodium hypochlorite was injected singly using a venturi dosing system. Nine (9) laterals with clogged emitters were implemented for treatment and the recovery discharge rates were measured for 5 minutes and characterized. Physicochemical and biological water analyses were carried out to determine parameters triggering clogging and the effect on recovery. The results showed that the chemical treatments had a significant effect on clog removal and recovered the discharge rates by 99.89 % of the initial flow at acid and chlorine contact times of 30 minutes each. This also had a relatively major effect alleviating emitter clogging from a discharge ratio variation (Dra) value of 33.50% to 123.23%. The recovery Dra values in each contact time with the chemicals were deemed effective (Dra≥ 75%). This was an indication that clogging in this study was mainly due to the chemical precipitation of Fe, Ca2+ and pH of the wastewater. The acid dissolved the mineral precipitates and chlorine disintegrated the organic matter built-ups. ANOVA tests for the acid and the chlorine contact time indicated that there were no statistically significant differences at p&lt;=0.05 on the effect of the average flow. This could be indicative of the sole effect of the phosphoric acid and sodium hypochlorite on the different clog type target. The chemical treatments recovery on CV, Uc and Dra could address the constraints in DIS and provide sustainable practice guidelines for the reduction of clogging, more beneficial because it can improve the system’s irrigation efficiency with the utilization of TE

Formation and estimated toxicity of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids from chlorination of nonylphenol-containing water: Effect of chlorine and bromide concentration, contact time, and pH

The presence of nonylphenol (NP), an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), in water sources can form toxic chlorination disinfection by-products (DBPs) during the water disinfection process using chlorine. This study investigated the formation of trihalomethanes-4 (THM4) and haloacetic acids-5 (HAA5) as regulated DBPs during the chlorination process of NP-containing water. The effects of chlorine dose, bromide concentration, pH, chlorine contact time, and the presence of NP in real natural water on THM4 and HAA5 formation were investigated. The increase of chlorine dose increased all of the THM4 and HAA5 formation especially chlorinated DBPs (Cl-DBPs), including trichloromethane (TCM) (0.140 %) and dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) (0.722 %) when the chlorine concentration was 5 times higher than NP. However, the increase of bromide concentration increased the formation of brominated DBPs (Br-DBPs), reaching concentration yields of 1.615 % for tribromomethane (TBM) and 0.421 % for dibromoacetic acid (DBAA), but decreased the chlorinated (Cl-DBPs formation). Similarly, the increase of chlorine contact time and pH increased the DBPs formation significantly especially Br-DBPs. The TBM and DBAA concentration yields reached 1.615 % and 0.676 %, respectively, when chlorinated at pH 9 and reached 0.653 % and 0.751 %, respectively, when chlorinated for 168 h. The addition of NP in natural water also raised the hydrophilicity of dissolved organic matter (DOM), indicated by the decrease of specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) value, which enhanced the formation of certain species including THM4 and HAA5. Based on toxicity calculation, the regulated DBPs formed were cytotoxic rather than genotoxic.

Contributions of Pharmaceuticals to DBP Formation and Developmental Toxicity in Chlorination of NOM-containing Source Water.

Pharmaceuticals have been considered a priority group of emerging micropollutants in source waters in recent years, while their role in the formation and toxicity of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during chlorine disinfection remains largely unclear. In this study, the contributions of natural organic matter (NOM) and pharmaceuticals (a mixture of ten representative pharmaceuticals) to the overall DBP formation and toxicity during drinking water chlorination were investigated. By innovatively "normalizing" chlorine exposure and constructing a kinetic model, we were able to differentiate and evaluate the contributions of NOM and pharmaceuticals to the total organic halogen (TOX) formation for source waters that contained different levels of pharmaceuticals. It was found that at a chlorine contact time of 1.0 h, NOM (2 mg/L as C) and pharmaceuticals (total 0.0062-0.31 mg/L as C) contributed 79.8-99.5% and 0.5-20.2%, respectively, of TOX. The toxicity test results showed that the chlorination remarkably increased the toxicity of the pharmaceutical mixture by converting the parent compounds into more toxic pharmaceutical-derived DBPs, and these DBPs might contribute significantly to the overall developmental toxicity of chlorinated waters. This study highlights the non-negligible role of pharmaceuticals in the formation and toxicity of overall DBPs in chlorinated drinking water.

The formation potential of disinfection by-products of Ti3C2Tx MXene

Owing to the outstanding properties, including non-toxicity, large surface area, bactericidal ability, and versatile surface chemistry, Ti3C2Tx MXene-based adsorbents and membranes have been widely explored in drinking water and wastewater treatment. At the same time, with the rapid increase in MXene applications, it is inevitable that MXene will find its way into water and wastewater treatment systems. It is therefore imperative to assess its potential for disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation and physicochemical transformation by chlorination. This study demonstrated that Ti3C2Tx Mxene has a high formation potential of DBPs including trichloromethane (TCM), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) and dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) during the chlorination and chloramination procedures. Few-layered Ti3C2Tx with a larger specific surface area produced more DBPs. The concentrations of TCM and DCAN increased monotonically with the prolongation of chlorine contact time, while the amount of DCAA tended to be stable after 10 h of chlorination. Moreover, the effects of chlorine dose were also considered to better understand the pattern of DBPs formation by Ti3C2Tx MXene. The possible mechanism of DBPs formation was deduced by analyzing the results of FTIR, Raman and XPS before and after chlorination. The DBPs were primarily formed with the destruction of TiC bond by chlorine with the concurrent formation of TiO2. The findings of this research add to the understanding of the potential for DBPs formation from carbon-containing nanomaterials in water treatment systems and shed light on the environmental potential risk of MXene.

Degradation kinetics and formation of regulated and emerging disinfection by-products during chlorination of two expectorants ambroxol and bromhexine

Ambroxol hydrochloride (AMB) and bromhexine hydrochloride (BRO) are classic expectorants and bronchosecretolytic pharmaceuticals. In 2022, both AMB and BRO were recommended by medical emergency department of China to alleviate cough and expectoration for symptoms caused by COVID-19. The reaction characteristics and mechanism of AMB/BRO with chlorine disinfectant in the disinfection process were investigated in this study. The reaction of chlorine with AMB/BRO were well described by a second-order kinetics model, first-order in both AMB/BRO and chlorine. The second order rate reaction constant of AMB and BRO with chlorine at pH 7.0 were 1.15 × 102 M−1s−1 and 2.03 × 102 M−1s−1, respectively. During chlorination, a new class of aromatic nitrogenous disinfection by-products (DBPs) including 2-chloro-4, 6-dibromoaniline and 2, 4, 6-tribromoaniline were identified as the intermediate aromatic DBPs by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The effect of chlorine dosage, pH, and contact time on the formation of 2-chloro-4, 6-dibromoaniline and 2, 4, 6-tribromoaniline were evaluated. In addition, it was found that bromine in AMB/BRO were vital bromine source to greatly promote the formation of classic brominated DBPs, with the highest Br-THMs yields of 23.8% and 37.8%, respectively. This study inspired that bromine in brominated organic compounds may be an important bromine source of brominated DBPs.

Investigation of the formation of NDMAUFC across biofilters

AbstractFull‐scale sampling at 16 facilities illustrated that NDMA precursor concentrations, measured by adding chloramine under Uniform Formation Conditions (NDMAUFC), increased across biofiltration at 7 of 16 facilities (by 3–48 ng/L or 12%–296%) but stayed the same or decreased (by up to 5 ng/L or 24%) at the other nine facilities. Increases in NDMAUFC concentrations were attributed to both particulate and soluble precursors. Only two facilities had an increase in NDMAUFC greater than 10 ng/L. However, NDMAUFC concentrations in the biofilter effluent from five facilities exceeded 10 ng/L during one or more sampling events. For these facilities, testing at multiple scales showed that mitigation steps could include pretreatment with ozone (which resulted in overall lower NDMAUFC), increased free chlorine contact time prior to ammonia addition, and/or optimized biofilter design and operation.

OPTIMIZATION OF FLUSHING PRESSURE, TIME, ACID AND CHLORINE TREATMENT ON DRIP EMITTER RECOVERY USING TREATED EFFLUENT

The competitive water uses and demand for freshwater increase the vulnerability of water sources. Due to the resulting water scarcity, reclamation of wastewater has been shown as an alternative and a viable water supply source for critical food security. The utilization of wastewater in agriculture is more compatible with drip irrigation but challenged with system clogging. Flushing pressure and chemical treatments were investigated with regards to the recovery of clogged emitters operated with treated blackwater effluent. A set of orthogonal experiments with flushing pressure, time, acid contact time and chlorine contact time were used to study the emitter recovery of in-line labyrinth drippers. Water discharge rates were measured and characterized at 72-hour intervals. Physicochemical and biological water analyses were carried out to determine parameters triggering clogging. The results showed that the flushing treatments had a significant effect on clog removal and recovered the discharge rates by 98% of the initial flow. Among the four factors, acid removed the built-ups the most. This was a clear indication that clogging in this study was mainly due to the chemical precipitation of Fe, Ca2+ and pH of the wastewater. Coarse particles could easily wear down, but not so much for biological growth induced by the biochemical water parameters. The analysis of variance indicated that the flushing pressure had a significant effect on the discharge of the precipitates that were dislodged by acid in contact, resuscitating the emitter discharge. The pressure provided a flushing velocity of 0.28 m/s and 0.49 m/s, removing the clogging particles. The flushing treatments implemented in the study improved the relative emitter discharge, uniformity coefficient (Uc) and the Emitter Discharge Variation (Dra). This study provides relevant information on emitter operational recovery for uniform water application and management of drip irrigation system (DIS) using wastewater.

Characterization of DOM Released from Bacteria in Response to Chlorine in Water Based on Indicator Bacteria E. coli

In this study, Escherichia coli (E. coli) was used as an indicator bacterium treated with five different concentrations of chlorine (0.1; 0.5; 1.0; 2.0, and 5.0 mg/L) and without chlorine (0.0 mg/L) to evaluate the changes in the DOM characteristics. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration initially increased along with the chlorine concentrations and decreased after 24 hours (0.0 and 0.1 mg/L) and 168 hours (0.5; 1.0; 2.0 and 5.0 mg/L). Ultra-violet absorbance at 260 nm (UV260) showed that the absorbance decreased for control without chlorine (0.0 mg/L) and 0.1 mg/L chlorine, while increased for other concentrations of chlorine within 120 hours. The DOC and UV260 results indicated that the high concentrations of chlorine initiated high contents of DOM which contained more humic-like molecules than the DOM released from E. coli without chlorine. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) analysis suggested that the DOM released from E. coli without chlorine enriched with protein-like substances, whereas the fulvic-like and humic-like substances more intensified in the DOM for the high concentrations of chlorine (>1.0 mg/L). The molecular weight distribution of DOM showed that the intensity of high molecular weight substances and polydispersity increased along with chlorine concentration and contact time, whereas the low molecular weight substances were relatively higher in the DOM for control without chlorine. The obtained results of this study would be useful for a better understanding of the variation of DOM during treatment and could be used as an important reference for optimizing the operation condition of the water treatment plants.

A balancing act: Optimizing free chlorine contact time to minimize iodo-DBPs, NDMA, and regulated DBPs in chloraminated drinking water

Many drinking water treatment plants in the U.S. have switched from chlorination to chloramination to lower levels of regulated trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water and meet the current regulations. However, chloramination can also produce other highly toxic/carcinogenic, unregulated DBPs: iodo-acids, iodo-THMs, and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). In practice, chloramines are generated by the addition of chlorine with ammonia, and plants use varying amounts of free chlorine contact time prior to ammonia addition to effectively kill pathogens and meet DBP regulations. However, iodo-DBPs and nitrosamines are generally not considered in this balancing of free chlorine contact time. The goal of our work was to determine whether an optimal free chlorine contact time could be established in which iodo-DBPs and NDMA could be minimized, while keeping regulated THMs and HAAs below their regulatory limits. The effect of free chlorine contact time was evaluated for the formation of six iodo-trihalomethanes (iodo-THMs), six iodo-acids, and NDMA during the chloramination of drinking water. Ten different free chlorine contact times were examined for two source waters with different dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bromide/iodide. For the low DOC water at pH 7 and 8, an optimized free chlorine contact time of up to 1 h could control regulated THMs and HAAs, as well as iodo-DBPs and NDMA. For the high DOC water, a free chlorine contact time of 5 min could control iodo-DBPs and NDMA at both pHs, but the regulated DBPs could exceed the regulations at pH 7.

Formation of disinfection byproducts in an ammonia-polluted source water with UV/chlorine treatment followed by post-chlorination: A pilot-scale study

This study investigated the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) from a real ammonia-polluted source water treated by a pilot-scale ultraviolet (UV)/chlorine process with subsequent post-chlorination. The experimental results indicated that UV/chlorine treatment enhanced the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and haloacetonitriles (HANs) in post-chlorination, compared to UV or chlorine applied alone under parallel experimental conditions. DBP formation was observed to depend on pH values, chlorine doses, and reaction times. THM formation was higher at pH 9.0 than pH 6.0, while HAAs and HANs were produced more readily at pH 6.0 rather than 9.0. A higher chlorine dose led to a higher amount of DBPs formed after the treatment of UV/chlorine followed by post-chlorination. The concentration of DBPs increased with the UV/chlorine treatment time increasing from 2 to 15 s and then presented a decrease trend with the reaction time prolonging to 30 s. In addition, changes in natural organic matter (NOM) properties were evaluated using three-dimensional fluorescence spectra and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) UV/chlorine treatment effectively destroyed humic-like and tyrosine-like components in waters with the maximum fluorescence intensity ( FI m a x ) reduced by 51.4% and 64.6%, respectively, compared to the raw water sample. The decrease of fluorescence of waters exhibited a positive correlation with the formation of DBP-FP in UV/chlorine treatment. Overall, DBP formation from the ammonia-polluted source water caused by UV/chlorine treatment could be managed by carefully determining chlorine doses and contact times to be used in the UV/chlorine process. • Micro-polluted water was treated by a pilot-scale UV/chlorine process. • DBP formation potential in UV/chlorine was strongly pH dependent. • Reducing chlorine dosage offset the increase of DBP formation. • The destruction of fluorescence components related with the formation of DBPs. • Fulvic-like components could be used as an indicator for DBP formation.

Relationships between regulated DBPs and emerging DBPs of health concern in U.S. drinking water

A survey was conducted at eight U.S. drinking water plants, that spanned a wide range of water qualities and treatment/disinfection practices. Plants that treated heavily-wastewater-impacted source waters had lower trihalomethane to dihaloacetonitrile ratios due to the presence of more organic nitrogen and HAN precursors. As the bromide to total organic carbon ratio increased, there was more bromine incorporation into DBPs. This has been shown in other studies for THMs and selected emerging DBPs (HANs), whereas this study examined bromine incorporation for a wider group of emerging DBPs (haloacetaldehydes, halonitromethanes). Moreover, bromine incorporation into the emerging DBPs was, in general, similar to that of the THMs. Epidemiology studies that show an association between adverse health effects and brominated THMs may be due to the formation of brominated emerging DBPs of heath concern. Plants with higher free chlorine contact times before ammonia addition to form chloramines had less iodinated DBP formation in chloraminated distribution systems, where there was more oxidation of the iodide to iodate (a sink for the iodide) by the chlorine. This has been shown in many bench-scale studies (primarily for iodinated THMs), but seldom in full-scale studies (where this study also showed the impact on total organic iodine. Collectively, the THMs, haloacetic acids, and emerging DBPs accounted for a significant portion of the TOCl, TOBr, and TOI; however, ∼50% of the TOCl and TOBr is still unknown. The correlation of the sum of detected DBPs with the TOCl and TOBr suggests that they can be used as reliable surrogates.