Specific Trihalomethane Formation Potential Research Articles

Fertilization regime shifts the molecular diversity and chlorine reactivity of soil dissolved organic matter from tropical croplands

Soil-derived dissolved organic matter (SDOM) is an important site-specific disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor in watersheds. However, it remains unclear how fertilization regime shifts the molecular diversity and chlorine reactivity of SDOM in cropland-impacted watersheds. Here, we analyzed the spectroscopic and molecular-level characteristics of the SDOM from croplands that had different fertilization regimes (i.e., non-fertilization, chemical fertilization, straw return, and chemical fertilization plus straw return) for 5 years and evaluated the chlorine reactivity of the SDOM by determining the 24-h chlorine consumption and specific DBP formation potential (SDBP-FP). The SDOM level decreased by chemical fertilization and was not significantly altered by straw return alone or combined with chemical fertilizer. However, all fertilization regimes elevated the molecular diversity of SDOM by increasing the abundance of protein-, lignin-, and tannin-like compounds. The chlorine reactivity of SDOM was reduced by chemical fertilization, but was significantly increased by straw return. Typically, straw return increased the formation potential of specific trihalomethane and chloral hydrate by 339% and 56% via increasing the aromatics in SDOM, whereas chemical fertilization could effectively decrease about 231% of the increased specific trihalomethane formation potential caused by straw return. This study highlights that fertilization regime can significantly shape the molecular diversity and chlorine reactivity of the SDOM in croplands and that partially replacing chemical fertilizer with crop straw is an advantageous practice for reducing DBP risks in drinking water in cropland-impacted watersheds.

Comparison of UV-based advanced oxidation processes for the removal of different fractions of NOM from drinking water

This study examined the effectiveness for degradation of hydrophobic (HPO), transphilic (TPI) and hydrophilic (HPI) fractions of natural organic matter (NOM) during UV/H2O2, UV/TiO2 and UV/K2S2O8 (UV/PS) advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). The changing characteristics of NOM were evaluated by dissolved organic carbon (DOC), the specific UV absorbance (SUVA), trihalomethanes formation potential (THMFP), organic halogen adsorbable on activated carbon formation potential (AOXFP) and parallel factor analysis of excitation–emission matrices (PARAFAC-EEMs). In the three UV-based AOPs, HPI fraction with low molecular weight and aromaticity was more likely to degradate than HPO and TPI, and the removal efficiency of SUVA for HPO was much higher than TPI and HPI fraction. In terms of the specific THMFP of HPO, TPI and HPI, a reduction was achieved in the UV/H2O2 process, and the higest removal rate even reached to 83%. UV/TiO2 and UV/PS processes can only decrease the specific THMFP of HPI. The specific AOXFP of HPO, TPI and HPI fractions were all able to be degraded by the three UV-based AOPs, and HPO content is more susceptible to decompose than TPI and HPI content. UV/H2O2 was found to be the most effective treatment for the removal of THMFP and AOXFP under given conditions. C1 (microbial or marine derived humic-like substances), C2 (terrestrially derived humic-like substances) and C3 (tryptophan-like proteins) fluorescent components of HPO fraction were fairly labile across the UV-based AOPs treatment. C3 of each fraction of NOM was the most resistant to degrade upon the UV-based AOPs. Results from this study may provide the prediction about the consequence of UV-based AOPs for the degradation of different fractions of NOM with varied characteristics.

Molecular-level comparison of dissolved organic matter in 11 major lakes in Japan by Orbitrap mass spectrometry

AbstractDissolved organic matter (DOM) causes organic pollution in lakes, resulting in the occurrence of off-flavour etc. when lake water is used as a drinking water source. In this study, DOM in 11 major lakes in Japan was characterised by high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Molecular formulas were assigned to 845–1,451 components per sample. Among them, 555 components were commonly found in all lakes. The DOM compositions of the 11 lakes were clustered into four groups. Correlation analysis could extract specific components whose relative intensities were associated with water quality indices such as specific ultraviolet absorbance, specific dissolved chemical oxygen demand (DCODMn), and specific trihalomethane formation potential (R = 0.80–0.93, p < 0.05). Although further molecular structural analyses of DOM components are necessary, these results could be informative for exploring key candidates related to specific water quality issues. Pre-treatment of samples with permanganate oxidation was applied to screen components which could contribute to DCODMn. DCODMn components accounted for only 7–30% of total peak intensities, indicating the limited performance of permanganate oxidation. Pre-treatment by permanganate coupled with Orbitrap MS revealed that components with higher molecular weight, higher oxygen-to-carbon ratios (O/C), and lower hydrogen-to-carbon ratios (H/C) could be responsible for DCODMn.

Impact of TiO2/UVA photocatalysis on THM formation potential

In drinking water treatment plants, reduction of trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) can be reached through precursor removal prior chlorine disinfection. In this work, the impact of TiO2/UVA photocatalytic process on THMFP has been studied using different phenolics (phenol, resorcinol, catechol, hydroquinone and gallic acid) and citric acid as NOM surrogates. A solution of each surrogate was photocatalytically treated at pH 7 applying different UVA doses and then chlorinated. Resorcinol oxidation by TiO2/UVA and THMFP reduction go hand in hand, indicating that the intermediates hardly form THMs when chlorinated. For the rest of surrogates, intermediates with medium-high specific THMFP (maximum values 40–120 μg CHCl3 (mg DOC)−1 for phenols; and ∼1000 μg CHCl3 (mg DOC)−1 for citric acid) are initially formed and disappear at higher UVA doses. TiO2/UVA treatment of water matrices with high and low specific UV absorption at 254 nm (SUVA254) (Sigma-Aldrich humic acid, pH 7; and water from Villar del Rey reservoir; Badajoz-Spain), was also investigated. For surface water UVA doses higher than 5 kWh m−3 were needed to achieve a THMFP below 100 μg THM L−1. During water treatment, an initial negative impact of AOPs in general and TiO2/UVA in particular on THMFP is expected.

Effect of ozonation on the characteristics of effluent organic matter fractions and subsequent associations with disinfection by-products formation

Ozonation could be used in advanced wastewater treatment plants to reduce the precursors of disinfection by-products (DBPs), or for disinfection and oxidation of trace organic compounds. Detailed analysis of effluent organic matter (EfOM) is intrinsic to the understanding of impact of ozonation on the characterization variation of EfOM, which is closely related with DBPs formation during subsequent chlorination. In this study, the raw as well as oxidized EfOM with ozone were fractionated into hydrophobic acids, neutrals and bases, and hydrophilic acids, neutrals and bases. Results indicated that ozonation increased the proportion of hydrophilic fractions in EfOM, especially of hydrophilic acids, which resulted in increased specific haloacetic acids formation potential (HAAFP) in the subsequent chlorination. Although ozonation decreased the total organic carbon and SUVA254 of EfOM and most isolated fractions, further ozonation increased the SUVA of hydrophilic acids after the initial decrease. This was in accordance with the chemical structures analysis with FTIR, which showed the relative abundance of unsaturated structures such as CO bonds in hydrophilic fractions increased with further ozonation. Furthermore, specific trihalomethanes formation potential (THMFP) of each fraction decreased after initial pre-ozonation but increased with different extent with further ozonation. While for HAAs, pre-ozonation of hydrophilic acids significantly increased the dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) formation potential. In brief, EfOM containing a relatively high content of aromatic structures i.e. SUVA254 and aliphatic structures yielded a remarkably high specific DBPFP. Further mineralization of organic fractions and specific increased formation of aliphatic CH structures by further ozonation caused the increased DBPFPs especially DCAAFP during subsequent chlorination.

Characteristics of disinfection by-products precursors removal from micro-polluted water by constructed wetlands

The goal of this research was to investigate the performance of constructed wetlands (CWs) for the removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and access the possible, formation of disinfection by-products (DBPS) after CWs treatment. A mixture of raw water from Yangtze River was spiked directly into pilot-scale CWs to assess impacts on various factors, including the removal of DOC, ultraviolet absorbance at 254nm (UV254), specific ultraviolet Absorbance (SUVA), disinfection by-products formation potential (DBPFP), trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), and haloacetic formation potential (HAAFP). The average removal of CODMn, NH4+-N, TN, DOC, UV254, THMs, and HAAs were 38.40%, 41.70%, 25.90%, 30.96%, 47.58%, −20.52%, and 25.22% respectively. CWs could degrade complicated organic matter into those with lower molecular weight, but could not further change to carbon dioxide and water. The average molecular weight of THMs in effluent flow declined to the level below, and high molecular weight organic compounds were more likely to form HAAs. The SUVA had no obvious relationships with the removal of specific trihalomethane formation potential (STHMFP), but had apparent relationship with the removal of specific haloacetic formation potential (SHAAFP) in CWs (p<0.5), suggesting that aromatic moieties had a higher apparent propensity to form HAAs than THMs.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) precursor fractions removal by coagulation and adsorption for bio-treated municipal wastewater: Molecular weight, hydrophobicity/hydrophily and fluorescence

Due to concerns over health risk of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), removal of trihalomethanes (THMs) precursor from bio-treated wastewater by coagulation and adsorption was investigated in this study. Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes and nonionic resins were applied to fractionate THMs precursor into various molecular weight (MW) fractions and hydrophobic/hydrophilic fractions. Characteristics of coagulated water and adsorbed water were evaluated by the three-dimensional excitation and emission matrix (3DEEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. Results showed that coagulation and adsorption were suitable for removing different hydrophobic/hydrophilic and fluorescent fractions. Coagulation decreased THMs concentration in hydrophobic acids (HoA) fraction from 59μg/L to 39μg/L, while the lowest THMs concentration (9μg/L) in hydrophilic substances (HiS) fraction was obtained in adsorbed water. However, both coagulation and adsorption were ineffective for removing fractions with MW<5kDa. Although coagulation and adsorption processes could reduce THMs formation, some specific THMs formation potential (STHMFP) in residual dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions increased in this study. Hydrophobic acid and hydrophilic fractions increased after coagulation treatment, and low MW and hydrophobic fractions increased after adsorption treatment. In addition, active carbon adsorbed more organic matter than coagulant, but brominated disinfection byproducts (Br-DBPs) in adsorbed water turned to the major THMs species after chlorination.

Effects of ozone as a stand-alone and coagulation-aid treatment on the reduction of trihalomethanes precursors from high DOC and hardness water

This study investigates the effect of ozone as a stand-alone and coagulation aid on the removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the water with a high level of DOC (13.8 mgL−1) and calcium hardness (270 mgL−1) CaCO3.Natural water collected from the Assiniboine River (Manitoba, Canada) was used in this study.Effectiveness of ozone treatment was evaluated by measurement of DOC, DOC fractions, UV254, and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP). Additionally, zeta potential and dissolved calcium concentration were measured to discern the mechanism of ozone reactions.Results indicated that 0.8 mg O3/mg DOC ozone stand-alone can cause up to 86% UV254 reduction and up to 27% DOC reduction.DOC fractionation results showed that ozone can change the composition of DOC in the water samples, converting the hydrophobic fractions into hydrophilic ones and resulting in the reduction of THMFP. Also, ozone caused a decrease in particle stability and dissolved calcium concentration. These simultaneous ozonation effects caused improved water flocculation and enhanced removal of DOC. This resulted in reduction of the coagulant dosage when ozone doses higher than 0.2 mg O3/mg DOC were applied prior to coagulation with ferric sulfate. Also, pre-ozonation-coagulation process achieved preferential THMFP removal for all of the ozone doses tested (0–0.8 mg O3/mg DOC), leading to a lower specific THMFP in pre-ozonated-coagulated waters than in the corresponding ozonated waters.

Characterization of chromophoric dissolved organic matter and trihalomethane formation potential in a recently constructed reservoir and the surrounding areas – Impoundment effects

Summary The effects of the dam impoundment on the distribution of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were evaluated for a dam reservoir (the Gunwi reservoir) at an early impoundment stage by comparing the characteristics of CDOM and trihalomethane (THM) precursors among the upstream catchment areas, the dam reservoir, and a downstream site. Sampling was conducted for two separate sampling periods of a non-storm event in May and a storm event in August, 2012. The dam reservoir had experienced long-term enrichment of non-biodegradable organic matter since its construction in February, 2010. In May, significant differences were observed in several selected CDOM properties between the upstream catchments and the locations affected by the impoundment (i.e., within the reservoir and the downstream sites). For the storm event, however, such impoundment effects became much less pronounced likely due to elevated input of CDOM with terrestrial origin into the reservoir. Specific THM formation potential (STHMFP) did not show the same spatial distinction as those of CDOM for both sampling periods. Three fluorophore groups were identified from fluorescence excitation–emission matrices (EEMs) of the collected samples by parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) modeling. Protein-like and microbial humic-like components were relatively more enriched for the impoundment-affected sites compared to the upstream locations, in which terrestrial humic-like component was more dominant. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated that the accumulation of non-biodegradable organic matter in the dam reservoir might be attributed to microbial humification of the algal-derived organic substances originated from either periphytons flushed from upstream stream beds or decomposing algae settled on the bottom of the reservoir, or both.

Photochemical and Bacterial Transformations of Disinfection By-Product Precursors in Water

In situ grab sampling from source waters and water extraction from source materials are common methods for determining disinfection by-product (DBP) formation potential (FP) of water samples or reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in forming DBPs during chlorination. However, DOM, as the main DBP precursor, collected using these techniques may not represent the DOM reacting with disinfectants due to biogeochemical alterations during water conveyance to drinking water treatment facilities. In this study, we exposed leachates from fresh litter and associated decomposed duff to natural sunlight or K-12 for 14 d and evaluated the changes, if any, on the propensity to form trihalomethane (THM), haloacetonitrile (HAN), and chloral hydrate (CHD) during chlorination. Sunlight treatment did not significantly change dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration but caused a 24 to 43% decrease in the specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) at 254 nm, indicating that UV-active chromophores were transformed or degraded. There were significant increases ( < 0.05) in specific HAN formation potential (HAN-FP) and specific CHD formation potential (CHD-FP) (i.e., HAN and CHD formation potentials per unit carbon), but no change in specific THM formation potential (THM-FP) after sunlight exposure. In contrast, bacterial treatment did not show any significant effect on SUVA, specific chlorine demand, or any specific DBP-FPs, although bacterial colony counts suggested DOM in leachates was utilized for bacterial growth. Results of this study confirmed that the reactivity of DOM in forming DBPs could be different after biogeochemical processes compared with its source materials. For this study, photochemical reactions had a greater effect on DBP-FPs than did microbial degradation.

Removal of natural organic matter and trihalomethane formation potential in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant

A multidisciplinary approach was applied in this work to characterise natural organic matter and evaluate the performance of a full-scale waterworks treating organic-rich surface water. It was shown that the combination of the treatment processes considered efficiently removed the dissolved organic matter, including its specific fractions. Most of the dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON), biodegradable DOC and DON, as well as assimilable organic carbon were removed by coagulation/sedimentation. However, the coagulation process was not likely to be optimised for the removal of all molecular weight compounds. The breakdown of high molecular weight compounds into others of low molecular weight, as well as the production of biodegradable organic matter during ozonation, proved to enhance their removal efficiency by subsequent biological activated carbon filtration. The specific trihalomethane formation potential decreased during treatment, indicating a decrease in reactivity of DOC with chlorine across the treatment train. Fractionation experiments demonstrated that high and medium molecular weight organics were likely to be the main precursors for the formation of trihalomethanes. However, other disinfection by-products (such as haloacetic acids) should also be controlled, as the chlorine demand pattern did not necessarily follow that of trihalomethane formation.

Effects of dissolved organic matter size fractions on trihalomethanes formation in MBR effluents during chlorine disinfection

In this study, effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) size fractions on trihalomethanes (THMs) formation in MBR effluents during chlorination were investigated by fractionating DOM into >100, 30–100, 10–30, 5–10 and <5kDa fractions using ultrafiltration (UF) membranes based on molecular weight (MW). Fractions of MW>30kDa constituted 87% of DOM and were the main THMs precursors, which exhibited higher specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) and THMs formation potential (THMFP) and should be reduced to control THMs formation. For these fractions, THMs formation was mostly attributed to slow chlorine decay, and THMs yield coefficients were low because halogenated intermediates derived from the macromolecular DOM were difficult to decompose to produce THMs. Moreover, there was a strong linear correlation between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and THMFP (R2=0.981), as well as between the SUVA and specific THMFP (R2=0.993) in all fractions.

Trihalomethane formation potential of DOC fractions isolated from two Canadian Prairie surface water sources

This study evaluated the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) composition of two surface waters in Manitoba, Canada, the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, to identify DOC fractions with the greatest potential to form trihalomethanes (THMs). The DOC was fractionated into six fractions based on hydrophobicity and acid base functionality: hydrophobic acid (HPOA), hydrophobic base (HPOB), hydrophobic neutral (HPON), hydrophilic acid (HPIA), hydrophilic base (HPIB), and hydrophilic neutral (HPIN). The trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) of the isolated fractions was measured. Fractions collected from the Red River showed significant variation in the specific THMFP, normalized to DOC concentration, ranging from 23 to 1,372 μg THM/mg DOC, while the Assiniboine River THMFP ranged from 11 to 575 μg THM/mg DOC. Although the DOC composition of the two rivers was similar, the THMFP for the fractions differed significantly. The Red River HPOB and HPIB fractions had the highest normalized THMFP of 1,002 μg THM/mg DOC and 1,372 μg THM/mg DOC, respectively, while the HPOA fraction showed the lowest with 23 μg THM/mg DOC. Comparatively, the HPOA fraction from the Assiniboine River was found to have a higher specific THMFP of 478 μg THM/mg DOC. These findings suggest that THM formation is dependent on unique organic composition of the local water and that caution should be taken when estimating THMFP from DOC fractions isolated from different water sources.

Trihalomethane formation potential of aquatic and terrestrial fulvic and humic acids: examining correlation between specific trihalomethane formation potential and specific ultraviolet absorbance

Environmental context When surface water is disinfected to produce potable drinking water, toxic by-products are generated by reaction with naturally occurring organic matter. The production of trihalomethane disinfection by-products was investigated for different types of well-characterised organic matter from various geographic locations. Increased understanding of the character of organic matter dissolved in water is needed for improving the ability to provide safe water and protect public health. Abstract Trihalomethanes (THMs) – a class of disinfection by-products (DBPs) including chloroform – are produced when natural water is chlorinated. Many THMs are believed to result from the reaction of chlorine with the aromatic structures in humic substances, which can be represented by ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UVA). However, in the literature, plots of the specific, or carbon-normalised, UVA (SUVA) compared with the specific, or carbon-normalised, trihalomethane formation potential, THMFP (STHMFP) are poorly correlated. Therefore, well characterised samples of organic matter were obtained from the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) to study the effect of type (fulvic acid, FA; humic acid, HA), origin (aquatic, terrestrial), geographical source (Nordic, Suwannee River, peat, soil) and pH (6, 9) on the formation of trihalomethanes. In this research, parameters expressed on a weight-average moles-of-humic substance basis were compared with those on a mass-of-carbon basis. Using factorial analysis, SUVA was statistically described by the main effect type (P = 0.0044), whereas STHMFP was statistically described by the main effects type (P = 0.0078) and origin (P = 0.0210). Separate relationships between SUVA and STHMFP normalised to moles of humic substance were defined for aquatic substances (R2 = 0.9948) and for terrestrial substances (R2 = 0.9512). The occurrence of aquatically derived fulvic-like humic acid (Suwannee River humic acid) and aquatically derived terrestrial-like humic acid (Nordic humic acid) were observed. Some aquatic substances were capable of generating levels of THMs per mole of humic substance that were greater than or equal to the most reactive terrestrial humic acid.

Investigation of DOM and THMFP in two reservoir waters of Changchun (China)

The two reservoir water samples from Xinlicheng (SW1) and Shitoukoumen (SW2) were collected to investigate the characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and trihalomethanes formation potential (THMFP). The six organic fractions were, hydrophilic acid fraction (HPIA), hydrophilic base fraction (HPIB), hydrophilic neutral fraction (HPIN), hydrophobic acid fraction (HPOA), hydrophobic base fraction (HPOB), and hydrophobic neutral fraction (HPON), separated with the XAD-16, AG-MP-50, and WA-10 resins. The DOM chemical composition sequences and specific THMFP of the six organic fractions in two raw waters are different. The experimental results show that HPOB in SW1 and HPOA in SW2 are the main precursor of THMFP among the six organic fractions. However, HPIB exhibits the highest chlorination activity in forming THMs. It is also found that the value of FI/DOC and the THMFP have better positive correlation. Compared with former results, a part of these findings are different from some reports. It is implied that certain sourcewater has a unique nature of DOM and DBPs. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010

Behavior and characteristics of DOM during a laboratory-scale horizontal subsurface flow wetland treatment: Effect of DOM derived from leaves and roots

In order to study the effect of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the leaves and roots of wetland plants on the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reduction during a laboratory-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSFW) treatment, excitation–emission matrixces (EEMs) analysis was conducted as a tracer in an effort to understand the biological or physicochemical functioning of this complex environment. Using XAD-8/XAD-4 resins, the DOM in the secondary effluent, HSFW effluent, and the DOM derived from the leaves and roots (DOM L&R) were fractionated into five classes: hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO-N), transphilic acid (TPI-A), transphilic neutral (TPI-N) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). DOC was removed by 37.2% during the HSFW treatment. On the other hand, hydrophobic/hydrophilic distribution of the HSFW effluent DOM changed significantly, with the effluent DOC becoming more hydrophobic due to a preferential removal of HPI (with a reduction of 64.8%). Furthermore, the trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) reduction of the HSFW system was quite low (20.2%), partially being ascribed to the influence of the relatively higher specific THMFP (STHMFP) of the DOM L&R fractions (especially for HPO-A). The soluble microbial by-products (SMPs) and aromatic protein-like materials (polyphenols) from the leaves and roots could be the main reason for the increased STHMFP of the HSFW effluent DOM fractions. In addition, the peak of Region II ( λ ex/ λ em = (220–260)/(332–380)) might serve as a proxy for monitoring the DOM L&R (polyphenols) in the effluent from a matured wetland.

Reduction of trihalomethane precursors of dissolved organic matter in the secondary effluent by advanced treatment processes

Wastewater effluent collected from the Wenchang Wastewater Treatment Plant (Harbin, China) was used as source water for advanced treatment and reclamation. Since dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the secondary effluent contains a high concentration of trihalomethanes (THMs) precursors, several processes of advanced treatments including granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, sand column biodegradation, horizontal subsurface flow wetland (HSFW) treatment, laboratory-scale soil aquifer treatment (SAT) and GAC + SAT were used in this study to compare and differentiate the removal mechanisms of DOM. DOM in the secondary effluent and the treated effluents was fractionated into five classes using XAD resins: hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO-N), transphilic acid (TPI-A), transphilic neutral (TPI-N), and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). Results showed that HPO-A and HPI were two main fractions of the DOM in the secondary effluent, accounting for 30.0% and 45.5% of the bulk DOM, respectively. HPO-A exhibited higher trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) and specific THMFP (STHMFP) than HPI during the chlorination process. The order of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal with respect to different advanced treatments was observed to be GAC + SAT > SAT > GAC > sand column > HSFW. As for the DOM removal mechanisms, the advanced treatment processes of GAC adsorption, SAT and GAC + SAT tended to adsorb more HPO-A, HPO-N and TPI-A and could reduce the aromaticity of those DOM fractions efficiently. Correspondingly, the advanced treatment processes of sand column, SAT, HSFW and GAC + SAT removed more HPI and TPI-N through biodegradation and each of the DOM fractions had an increased aromaticity. The removal order of the THMs precursor by the advanced treatment processes was GAC + SAT > GAC > SAT> sand column > HSFW. The adsorption reduced the STHMFP of the DOM fractions effectively, whereas the biodegradation mechanism of the treatments (sand column, SAT, GAC + SAT and HSFW) showed a converse trend. Moreover, the THMFP and STHMFP of the DOM in the HSFW effluent were obviously affected by the DOM derived from the leaves and roots.

Relationships between specific ultraviolet absorbance and trihalomethane precursors of different carbon sources

A rapid and effective detection method is essential for water utilities to monitor variability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in source waters in order to apply strategies to minimize formation of disinfection by-products in treated waters. Ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UVA254) and specific UVA254 (SUVA254) have been widely used as surrogates of concentration and reactivity of DOC, respectively. However, poor correlations between SUVA254 and specific trihalomethane formation potential (STHMFP) have been occasionally reported and the reliability of using SUVA254 to predict trihalomethane (THM) formation has been questioned. In this study, the correlations of SUVA254 and THM reactivity of three different DOC sources commonly found in water treatment facilities (aquatic carbon, soil carbon, and fecal matter) were evaluated. A 0.22 μm filter, instead of 0.45 μm filter, was used for water filtration to minimize the effects of colloidal materials on UVA254. UVA254 and DOC after chlorination were also examined and differential UVA254 and SUVA254 (ΔSUVA254) were compared to THM reactivity. Results showed correlations between UVA254 and DOC were source dependent suggesting natural humification and degradation processes did not alter DOC characteristics from its original sources. The STHMFP of river and soil DOC samples were comparable, whereas their UVA254 normalized THMFP were different ( p <0.05), suggesting that UVA254 is a better indicator in predicting THM formation potential than DOC concentrations. ΔSUVA254 showed a stronger correlation with STHMFP than the conventional surrogate—SUVA254.

Removal and transformation of dissolved organic matter in secondary effluent during granular activated carbon treatment

This paper focused on the removal and transformation of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in secondary effluent during the granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment. Using XAD-8/XAD-4 resins, DOM was fractionated into five classes: hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO-N), transphilic acid (TPI-A), transphilic neutral (TPI-N) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). Subsequently, the water quality parameters of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), absorbance of ultraviolet light at 254 nm (UV-254), specific ultraviolet light absorbance (SUVA) and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) were analyzed for the unfractionated and fractionated water samples. The results showed that the order of the DOC removal with respect to DOM fractions was observed to be HPI>HPO-A>HPO-N>TPI-A>TPI-N. During the GAC treatment, the THMFP of the unfractionated water samples decreased from 397.4 μg/L to 176.5 μg/L, resulting in a removal efficiency of 55.6%. The removal order of the trihalomethanes (THMs) precursor was as follows: HPO-A>TPI-A>TPI-N>HPO-N>HPI. By the GAC treatment, the specific THMFP of HPO-A, TPI-A, TPI-N and the original unfractionated water samples had a noticeable decrease, while that of HPO-N and HPI showed a converse trend. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results showed that the hydroxide groups, carboxylic acids, aliphatic C—H were significantly reduced by GAC treatment.

Reduction of dissolved organic matter and trihalomethane formation potential during laboratory‐scale soil‐aquifer treatment

AbstractDissolved organic matter (DOM) in recovered groundwater from soil‐aquifer treatment (SAT) has the potential to generate harmful disinfection by‐products. This study investigated the reduction of mass and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) of DOM fractions from secondary effluent during laboratory‐scale SAT. Using XAD‐8 and XAD‐4 resins, DOM was fractionated into three fractions: hydrophobic acid (HPO‐A), transphilic acid (TPI‐A) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). HPO‐A was removed by 61.1%, TPI‐A by 54.9% and HPI by 75.0% as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during the laboratory‐scale SAT, respectively. The reduction of THMFP from HPO‐A, TPI‐A and HPI was 27.24, 26.24 and 36.08%, respectively. Specific THMFP for each DOM fraction increased across the soil columns. HPO‐A was found to be the major precursor of THMs. THMFP was strongly correlated to ultraviolet light at 254 nm (UV‐254) for HPO‐A and HPI, while the relationship between THMFP and UV‐254 for TPI‐A was significantly poor.