Interactions of fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents with aqueous chlorine: reaction kinetics, mechanisms, and transformation pathways

Kinetics, products, and mechanistic aspects of reactions between free available chlorine (HOCl/OCl-), ciprofloxacin (CF), and enrofloxacin (EF) were extensively investigated to elucidate the behavior of fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents during water chlorination processes. Although the molecular structures of these two substrates differ only with respect to degree of N(4) amine alkylation, CF and EF exhibit markedly different HOCl reaction kinetics and transformation pathways. HOCI reacts very rapidly at CF's secondary N(4) amine, forming a chloramine intermediate that spontaneously decays in aqueous solution by concerted piperazine fragmentation. In contrast, HOCl reacts relatively slowly at EF's tertiary N(4) amine, apparently forming a highly reactive chlorammonium intermediate (R3N-(4)Cl+) that can catalytically halogenate EF or other substrates present in solution. Flumequine, a fluoroquinolone that lacks the characteristic piperazine ring, exhibits no apparent reactivity toward HOCI but appears to undergo facile halodecarboxylation in the presence of R3N(4)-Cl+ species derived from EF. Measured reaction kinetics were validated in real water matrixes by modeling CF and EF losses in the presence of free chlorine residuals. Combined chlorine (CC) kinetics were determined under selected conditions to evaluate the potential significance of reactions with chloramines. CF's rapid kinetics in direct reactions with HOCl, and relatively high reactivity toward CC, indicate that secondary amine-containing fluoroquinolones should be readily transformed during chlorination of real waters, whether applied chlorine doses are present as free or combined residuals. However, EF's slower HOCl reaction kinetics, recalcitrance toward CC, and participation in the catalytic halogenation cycle described herein suggest that tertiary amine-containing fluoroquinolones will be comparatively stable during most full-scale water chlorination processes.     

Degradation of tertiary alkylamines during chlorination/chloramination: implications for formation of aldehydes, nitriles, halonitroalkanes, and nitrosamines

Drinking water utilities are exploring the use of waters impacted by wastewater effluents and agricultural runoff to meet the demands of growing populations. Due to the elevated organic nitrogen concentrations in these waters, the pathways responsible for transformation of organic nitrogen into toxic nitrogenous disinfection byproducts during chlorine and chloramine disinfection are of current concern. Tertiary alkylamines are important functional groups in human waste products and various consumer products that can be released to drinking water supplies via wastewater effluents. We investigated degradation pathways for model tertiary alkylamines during chlorination and chloramination. Our results indicate that tertiary alkylamines degrade nearly instantaneously during chlorination to form aldehydes and secondary alkylamines quantitatively, with no significant regioselectivity. Similar results were observed during chloramination, but the observed degradation rates were much slower, with lower yields of aldehydes. As these major products were fairly stable, these results explain why tertiary amines are significant precursors of secondary nitrosamines during chloramination. Trichloronitromethane formed at very low yields during chlorination, but was not observed during chloramination; monochloronitromethane and dichloronitromethane were never detected. Despite the significant yields of aldehydes during chloramination, our results indicated low nitrile yields bythe reaction between chloramines and aldehydes.     

Nitrile, aldehyde, and halonitroalkane formation during chlorination/chloramination of primary amines

The decreasing availability of pristine water supplies is prompting drinking water utilities to exploit waters impacted by wastewater effluents and agricultural runoff. As these waters feature elevated organic nitrogen concentrations, the pathways responsible for transformation of organic nitrogen into toxic nitrogenous disinfection byproducts during chlorine and chloramine disinfection are of current concern. Partially degraded biomolecules likely constitute a significant fraction of organic nitrogen in these waters. As primary amines occur in important biomolecules, we investigated formation pathways for nitrile, aldehyde, and halonitroalkane byproducts during chlorination and chloramination of model primary amines. Chlorine and chloramines transformed primary amines to nitriles and aldehydes in significant yields overtime scales relevant to drinking water distribution systems. Yields of halonitroalkanes were less significant yet may be important because of the high toxicity associated with these compounds. Our results indicate that chloramination should reduce nitrile concentrations compared to chlorination but may increase the formation of aldehydes and halonitroalkanes at high oxidant doses.     

Kinetics and mechanistic aspects of As(III) oxidation by aqueous chlorine, chloramines, and ozone: relevance to drinking water treatment

Kinetics and mechanisms of As(III) oxidation by free available chlorine (FAC-the sum of HOCl and OCl-), ozone (O3), and monochloramine (NH2Cl) were investigated in buffered reagent solutions. Each reaction was found to be first order in oxidant and in As(III), with 1:1 stoichiometry. FAC-As(III) and O3-As(III) reactions were extremely fast, with pH-dependent, apparent second-order rate constants, k'app, of 2.6 (+/- 0.1) x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) and 1.5 (+/- 0.1) x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) at pH 7, whereas the NH2Cl-As(III) reaction was relatively slow (k'app = 4.3 (+/- 1.7) x 10(-1) M(-1) s(-1) at pH 7). Experiments conducted in real water samples spiked with 50 microg/L As(III) (6.7 x 10(-7) M) showed that a 0.1 mg/L Cl2 (1.4 x 10-6 M) dose as FAC was sufficient to achieve depletion of As(III) to <1 microg/L As(III) within 10 s of oxidant addition to waters containing negligible NH3 concentrations and DOC concentrations <2 mg-C/L. Even in a water containing 1 mg-N/L (7.1 x 10(-5) M) as NH3, >75% As(III) oxidation could be achieved within 10 s of dosing 1-2 mg/L Cl2 (1.4-2.8 x 10(-5) M) as FAC. As(III) residuals remaining in NH3-containing waters 10 s after dosing FAC were slowly oxidized (t1/2 > or = 4 h) in the presence of NH2Cl formed by the FAC-NH3 reaction. Ozonation was sufficient to yield >99% depletion of 50 microg/L As(III) within 10 s of dosing 0.25 mg/L O3 (5.2 x 10(-6) M) to real waters containing <2 mg-C/L of DOC, while 0.8 mg/L O3 (1.7 x 10(-5) M) was sufficientfor a water containing 5.4 mg-C/L of DOC. NH3 had negligible effect on the efficiency of As(III) oxidation by O3, due to the slow kinetics of the O3-NH3 reaction at circumneutral pH. Time-resolved measurements of As(III) loss during chlorination and ozonation of real waters were accurately modeled using the rate constants determined in this investigation.     

Enhanced nitrogenous disinfection byproduct formation near the breakpoint: implications for nitrification control

Increasing the chlorine to ammonia molar ratio and breakpoint chlorination are two control strategies practiced by drinking water treatment utilities experiencing nitrification during chloramination. The first strategy will increase dichloramine formation, which increases nitrosamine formation. Moreover, our results indicate that dichloramine is also an important factor for nitrile formation. Near the breakpoint, nitrosamine formation is over an order of magnitude higher than that observed during chloramination. We propose that there are two nitrosamine formation pathways active in the breakpoint chlorination region: (i) a relatively slow reaction of dichloramine with amine precursors in the presence of dissolved oxygen and (ii) a fast reaction involving reactive breakpoint chlorination intermediates. Lastly, in the presence of nitrite, if breakpoint chlorination is conducted to achieve a significant free chlorine residual, nitrosamines and nitramines will form through a reaction with nitrite and hypochlorite. However, nitrosamine formation will be much lower than when breakpoint chlorination is conducted with no significant free chlorine residual.     

Stability of cyanogen chloride in the presence of free chlorine and monochloramine

Cyanogen chloride (CNCl) is a disinfection byproduct found in chlorinated and chloraminated drinking water. Although there is an apparent greater association of CNCI with chloraminated water relative to chlorination systems, it was not clear whether these phenomenological observations are explained by differences in the stability or formation potentials of CNCI between the two disinfectants. In this study, the stability of CNCl was examined in the presence of free chlorine and monochloramine using membrane introduction mass spectrometry. CNCI decomposes relatively rapidly when free chlorine is present but is stable in the presence of monochloramine. The decomposition kinetics and observed reaction products are consistent with a hypochlorite-catalyzed hydrolysis mechanism, and the rate law is described by (d[CNCl]/dt) = - kOCl[CNCl][OCl-]. At 25 degrees C, pH 7, and a free chlorine residual of 0.5 mg/L as Cl2, the half-life of CNCl is approximately 60 min, suggesting significant decomposition is expected over disinfection time scales. Under some winter season temperature conditions, however, the decay half-life of CNCl can be longer than typical disinfection contact times. The results of this study demonstrate that the observed association of CNCl with chloramination systems can in part be explained by the differences in its stability with chlorine and chloramines.     

Unexpected products and reaction mechanisms of the aqueous chlorination of cimetidine

Many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) resist degradation in wastewater treatment plants. Thus, they may be transformed by chemical disinfectants in the final treatment stage, generating products that may possess enhanced toxicity/biological activity relative to the parent compounds. For this reason, the reaction of cimetidine, an over-the-counter antacid, with the frequently used disinfectant, free chlorine, was investigated. Cimetidine degraded rapidly in the presence of excess free chlorine, indicating that it will likely undergo significant transformation during wastewater disinfection. Four major products were isolated and extensively characterized by comparison of liquid chromatographic retention times to known standards, mass spectrometry, 1H- and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. An expected sulfur oxidation product, cimetidine sulfoxide, was identified along with three unexpected products: 4-hydroxymethyl-5-methyl-1H-imidazole, 4-chloro-5-methyl-1H-imidazole, and a product proposed to be either a beta- or delta-sultam. The last three products are formed by transformations not frequently observed in free chlorine reactions of PPCPs such as C-C bond cleavage and intramolecular nucleophilic substitution. The unexpected transformations yielded compounds with more substantial structural changes than would be observed in common free chlorine reactions such as N-chlorination or electrophilic halogenation. The reaction pathway was elucidated by kinetic analysis and by independently treating isolated intermediates with free chlorine, and reaction mechanisms were proposed. Finally, the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of the chlorination products was estimated, and the products 4-hydroxymethyl-5-methyl-1H-imidazole and 4-chloro-5-methyl-1H-imidazole were estimated to have lower PNECs than cimetidine.     

Triclosan reactivity in chloraminated waters

Triclosan, widely employed as an antimicrobial additive in many household personal care products, has recently been detected in wastewater treatment plant effluents and in source waters used for drinking water supplies. Chloramines used either as alternative disinfectants in drinking water treatment or formed during chlorination of nonnitrified wastewater effluents have the potential to react with triclosan. This study examined triclosan reactivity in chloraminated waters over the pH range of 6.5-10.5. Experimental and modeling results show that monochloramine directly reacts with the phenolate form of triclosan; however, the reaction is relatively slow as evinced by the second-order rate constant k(ArO)-NH2Cl = 0.025 M(-1) s(-1). Kinetic modeling indicates that for pH values less than 9.5, reactions between triclosan and two monochloramine autodecomposition intermediates, hypochlorous acid (k(ArO)-HOC = 5.4 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1)) and dichloramine (k(ArO)-NHCl2 = 60 M(-1) s(-1)), are responsible for a significant percentage of the observed triclosan decay. The products of these reactions include three chlorinated triclosan byproducts as well as 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Low levels of chloroform were detected after 1 week at pH values of 6.5 and 7.5. The slow reactivity of triclosan in the presence of chloramines explains the recalcitrance of this species in nonnitrified wastewater effluents.     

Assessing the reactivity of free chlorine constituents Cl₂, Cl₂O, and HOCl toward aromatic ethers

Cl(2) and Cl(2)O are highly reactive electrophiles capable of influencing rates of disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor chlorination in solutions of free available chlorine (FAC). The current work examines how organic compound structure influences susceptibility toward chlorination by Cl(2) and Cl(2)O relative to the more abundant (but less reactive) electrophile HOCl. Chlorination rates and products were determined for three aromatic ethers, whose reactivities with FAC increased in the order: 3-methylanisole <1,3-dimethoxybenzene <1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene. Varying solution conditions (pH, [FAC], [Cl(-)]) permitted quantification of regiospecific second-order rate constants for formation of each product by Cl(2), Cl(2)O, and HOCl. Our results indicate that as the reactivity of methoxybenzenes decreases, the importance of Cl(2) and Cl(2)O (relative to HOCl) increases. Accordingly, Cl(2) and Cl(2)O are likely to play important roles in generating DBPs that originate from natural organic matter (NOM) constituents of somewhat moderate reactivity. As [Cl(2)] is proportional to [Cl(-)] and [Cl(2)O] is proportional to [HOCl](2), ramifications for DBP control measures may differ significantly for these precursors compared to more reactive NOM moieties likely to react predominantly with HOCl. In particular, the role of chloride as a chlorination catalyst challenges its traditional classification as an "inert" electrolyte in water treatment processes.     

Mechanism and kinetics of cyanogen chloride formation from the chlorination of glycine

Glycine is an important precursor of cyanogen chloride (CNCl)--a disinfection byproduct (DBP) found in chlorinated drinking water. To model CNCl formation from glycine during chlorination, the mechanism and kinetics of the reaction between glycine and free chlorine were investigated. Kinetic experiments indicated that CNCI formation was limited by either the decay rates of N,N-dichloroglycine or a proposed intermediate, N-chloroiminocarboxylate, CIN=CHCO2-. Only the anionic form of N,N-dichloroglycine, NCl2CH2CO2-, however, decays to form CNCl, while the protonated neutral species forms N-chloromethylimine. At pH > 6, glycine-nitrogen is stoichiometrically converted to CNCI, while conversion decreases at lower pH due to the formation of N-chloromethylimine. Under conditions relevant to drinking water treatment, i.e., at pH 6 to 8 and with free chlorine in excess, a simplified rate expression for the concentration of glycine-nitrogen converted to CNCl, [CNCl]f, applies: dt/d[CNCl]f = k2*[Cl2-Gly](T,o)exp(-k2*t) where [Cl2-Gly]T,o is the initial concentration of total N,N-dichloroglycine, k2* is the first-order decay constant for CIN=CHCO2-, k2*(s(-1)) = 10(12)(+/-4) exp(-1.0(+/-0.3) x 10(4)/T), and T is the absolute temperature in K. Kinetic expressions for d[CNCl]/dt when free chlorine is in excess, however, must also account for the significant decay of CNCl by hypochlorite-catalyzed hydrolysis, which has been characterized in previous studies. Although CNCl formation is independent of the free chlorine concentration, higher chlorine concentrations promote its hydrolysis.     

Characterization and fate of N-nitrosodimethylamine precursors in municipal wastewater treatment plants

The potent carcinogen, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), is produced during disinfection of municipal wastewater effluent from the reaction of monochloramine and organic nitrogen-containing precursors. To delineate the sources and fate of NDMA precursors during municipal wastewater treatment, NDMA formation was measured after extended chloramination of both model precursors and samples from conventional and advanced wastewater treatment plants. Of the model precursors, only dimethylamine, tertiary amines with dimethylamine functional groups, and dimethylamides formed significant NDMA concentrations upon chloramination. In samples from municipal wastewater treatment plants, dissolved NDMA precursors always were present in primary and secondary effluents. Biological treatment effectively removed the known NDMA precursor dimethylamine, lowering its concentration to levels that could not produce significant quantities of NDMA upon chlorine disinfection. However, biological treatment was less effective at removing other dissolved NDMA precursors, even after extended biological treatment. Significant concentrations of particle-associated NDMA precursors only were detected in secondary effluent at treatment plants that recycled water from sludge thickening operations in which dimethylamine-based synthetic polymers were used. Effective strategies for the prevention of NDMA formation during wastewater chlorination include ammonia removal by nitrification to preclude chloramine formation during chlorine disinfection, elimination of dimethylamine-based polymers, and use of filtration and reverse osmosis to remove particle-associated precursors and dissolved precursors, respectively.     

Influence of the order of reagent addition on NDMA formation during chloramination

The formation of the potent carcinogen, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), during chlorine disinfection has caused significant concern among drinking water and wastewater recycling utilities practicing intentional or unintentional chloramination. Previous research modeled NDMA formation as arising from a reaction between monochloramine and organic nitrogen precursors, such as dimethylamine, via an unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) intermediate. Contrary to the importance of monochloramine indicated by previous studies, hypochlorite formed an order of magnitude more NDMA than monochloramine when applied to a secondary municipal wastewater effluent containing excess ammonia. Experiments involving variation of the order that each reagent (i.e., hypochlorite, ammonium chloride, and dimethylamine) was added to solution suggest two factors that may be more important for NDMA formation than the presence of monochloramine: (i) the chlorination state of organic nitrogen precursors and (ii) the partial formation of dichloramine. Although dichloramine formation was most influenced by the pH conditions under which inorganic chloramine formation was performed, mixing effects related to the order of reagent addition may be important at full-scale plants. Chloramination strategies are suggested that may reduce NDMA formation by nearly an order of magnitude.     

Transformation of aromatic ether- and amine-containing pharmaceuticals during chlorine disinfection

Many of the human pharmaceuticals detected in municipal wastewater effluent, surface water, and groundwater contain functional groups that could undergo transformation reactions during chlorine disinfection. To assess the potential importance of these reactions to the environmental fate of pharmaceuticals, the rate of transformation of a group of compounds was measured over a pH range of 5-10. Several of the pharmaceuticals reacted rapidly with free chlorine (i.e., HOCl/OCl-) and would be expected to undergo transformation under the conditions typically encountered in many chlorine disinfection systems. For compounds containing aromatic ether functional groups, the rate of transformation was strongly affected bythe other substituents on the ring. The amine-containing pharmaceuticals underwent a rapid reaction with hypochlorous acid to form chlorinated amines, which could be converted back into the parent compound by reaction with thiosulfate. In the absence of thiosulfate, the chlorinated amines slowly decomposed to form species that could not be converted back into the parent compound. The reaction rates of the pharmaceuticals with combined chlorine (i.e., chloramines) were significantly slower, and transformation of the compounds would not be expected under the conditions encountered during chloramination.     

Formation of toxic iodinated disinfection by-products from compounds used in medical imaging

Iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) were investigated as a source of iodine in the formation of iodo-trihalomethane (iodo-THM) and iodo-acid disinfection byproducts (DBPs), both of which are highly genotoxic and/or cytotoxic in mammalian cells. ICM are widely used at medical centers to enable imaging of soft tissues (e.g., organs, veins, blood vessels) and are designed to be inert substances, with 95% eliminated in urine and feces unmetabolized within 24 h. ICM are not well removed in wastewater treatment plants, such that they have been found at elevated concentrations in rivers and streams (up to 100 μg/L). Naturally occurring iodide in source waters is believed to be a primary source of iodine in the formation of iodo-DBPs, but a previous 23-city iodo-DBP occurrence study also revealed appreciable levels of iodo-DBPs in some drinking waters that had very low or no detectable iodide in their source waters. When 10 of the original 23 cities' source waters were resampled, four ICM were found--iopamidol, iopromide, iohexol, and diatrizoate--with iopamidol most frequently detected, in 6 of the 10 plants sampled, with concentrations up to 2700 ng/L. Subsequent controlled laboratory reactions of iopamidol with aqueous chlorine and monochloramine in the absence of natural organic matter (NOM) produced only trace levels of iodo-DBPs; however, when reacted in real source waters (containing NOM), chlorine and monochloramine produced significant levels of iodo-THMs and iodo-acids, up to 212 nM for dichloroiodomethane and 3.0 nM for iodoacetic acid, respectively, for chlorination. The pH behavior was different for chlorine and monochloramine, such that iodo-DBP concentrations maximized at higher pH (8.5) for chlorine, but at lower pH (6.5) for monochloramine. Extracts from chloraminated source waters with and without iopamidol, as well as from chlorinated source waters with iopamidol, were the most cytotoxic samples in mammalian cells. Source waters with iopamidol but no disinfectant added were the least cytotoxic. While extracts from chlorinated and chloraminated source waters were genotoxic, the addition of iopamidol enhanced their genotoxicity. Therefore, while ICM are not toxic in themselves, their presence in source waters may be a source of concern because of the formation of highly toxic iodo-DBPs in chlorinated and chloraminated drinking water.     

Formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from dimethylamine during chlorination

Chlorine disinfection of secondary wastewater effluent and drinking water can result in the production of the potent carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) at concentrations of approximately 100 and 10 parts per trillion (ng/L), respectively. Laboratory experiments with potential NDMA precursors indicate that NDMA formation can form during the chlorination of dimethylamine and other secondary amines. The formation of NDMA during chlorination may involve the slow formation of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine by the reaction of monochloramine and dimethylamine followed by its rapid oxidation to NDMA and other products including dimethylcyanamide and dimethylformamide. Other pathways also lead to NDMA formation during chlorination such as the reaction of sodium hypochlorite with dimethylamine. However, the rate of NDMA formation is approximately an order of magnitude slower than that observed when monochloramine reacts with dimethylamine. The reaction exhibits a strong pH dependence due to competing reactions. It may be possible to reduce NDMA formation during chlorination by removing ammonia prior to chlorination, by breakpoint chlorination, or by avoidance of the use of monochloramine for drinking water disinfection.     

Trade-offs in disinfection byproduct formation associated with precursor preoxidation for control of N-nitrosodimethylamine formation

Chloramines in drinking water may form N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Various primary disinfectants can deactivate NDMA precursors prior to chloramination. However, they promote the formation of other byproducts. This study compared the reduction in NDMA formation due to chlorine, ozone, chlorine dioxide, and UV over oxidant exposures relevant to Giardia control coupled with postchloramination under conditions relevant to drinking water practice. Ten waters impacted by treated wastewater, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (polyDADMAC) polymer, or anion exchange resin were examined. Ozone reduced NDMA formation by 50% at exposures as low as 0.4 mg×min/L. A similar reduction in NDMA formation by chlorination required ～60 mg×min/L exposure. However, for some waters, chlorination actually increased NDMA formation at lower exposures. Chlorine dioxide typically had limited efficacy regarding NDMA precursor destruction; moreover, it increased NDMA formation in some cases. UV decreased NDMA formation by ～30% at fluences >500 mJ/cm(2), levels relevant to advanced oxidation. For the selected pretreatment oxidant exposures, concentrations of regulated trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, bromate, and chlorite typically remained below current regulatory levels. Chloropicrin and trichloroacetaldehyde formation were increased by preozonation or medium pressure UV followed by postchloramination. Among preoxidants, ozone achieved the greatest reduction in NDMA formation at the lowest oxidant exposure associated with each disinfectant. Accordingly, preozonation may inhibit NDMA formation with minimal risk of promotion of other byproducts. Bromide >500 μg/L generally increased NDMA formation during chloramination. Higher temperatures increased NDMA precursor destruction by preoxidants but also increased NDMA formation during postchloramination. The net effect of these opposing trends on NDMA formation was water-specific.     

Cl K-edge X-ray spectroscopic investigation of enzymatic formation of organochlorines in weathering plant material

The contribution of halocarbons from plant weathering to the total organohalogen budget of terrestrial systems is gaining recognition. To evaluate the formation of such halocarbons, speciation of chlorine in Sequoia sempervirens (redwood) needles was examined in the presence of an external chloroperoxidase (CPO) enzyme using Cl K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The Cl forms in fresh and naturally weathered needles and in model laboratory reactions were compared. To provide a straightforward analogue to the enzymatic chlorination in plants, chlorination reactions were conducted for phenol, a common moiety of plant macromolecules. Plant material chlorination was also examined in the presence of hypochlorite in an ancillary mechanistic investigation. The dominant form of Cl in fresh, unreacted plant material was found to be inorganic Cl-, which was partially converted to organochlorine in the presence of CPO. Chlorination is affected by the nature of reactant (CPO, H2O2) addition, reaction time, and temperature. The organochlorines produced in these laboratory investigations closely resemble those produced during the natural weathering of redwood needles. A striking consistency in chlorine speciation observed among the various sample types suggests that (i) CPO produced by terrestrial organisms could play a vital role in the generation of organochlorines associated with the degradation of plant material and (ii) initial targets of enzymatic chlorination might include lignin-like macromolecules rich in aromatic character and hydroxyl groups. These findings lend further credibility to a significant biogenic contribution to the global organohalogen burden by elucidating a probable route of enzymatic chlorination of natural organic matter in terrestrial systems.     

Occurrence of halogenated furanones in U.S. drinking waters

Chlorinated and brominated forms of MX (3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone) were detected in the disinfected waters of six pairs of U.S. drinking watertreatment plants, with MX as high as approximately 310 ng/L in finished water. The strength of this study is in its comparison between pairs of plants that drew water from the same or similar watersheds and treated the raw source water with two contrasting disinfection and/or treatment schemes. As expected, the brominated MX-analogues were produced in greater abundance than MX from raw source waters with high bromide concentrations. Disinfection of waters with free chlorine produced more MX-analogues than disinfection with monochloramine. Use of chloramines as the residual disinfectant appeared to stabilize MX-analogues once they were formed. Pretreatment with ozone and biologically active granular activated carbon minimized MX-analogue formation upon subsequent chlorination or chloramination, either because MX precursors were altered by ozone, removed by granular activated carbon, or degraded by biological filtration. Pretreatment with chlorine dioxide did not minimize MX-analogue formation. In plant effluent samples, MX and chloroform were positively correlated (molar R = 0.7, N = 6). Similar formation patterns of MX-analogues, trihalomethanes, and haloacetic acids in these water treatment plants suggest that the three classes of disinfection byproduct follow a common formation mechanism from natural organic matter and chlorine.     

Oxidation of sulfonamide antimicrobials by ferrate(VI) [Fe(VI)O4(2-)

Sulfonamide antimicrobials are used in both human therapy and animal husbandry. Sulfonamides are not readily biodegradable and have been detected in surface water and in secondary wastewater effluents. The chemical oxidation of sulfonamides by an environmentally friendly oxidant, ferrate(VI) (Fe(VI)O4(2-), Fe(VI)), was conducted. The sulfonamides used in the oxidation studies were sulfisoxazole, sulfamethazine, sulfamethizole, sulfadimethoxine, and sulfamethoxazole. Kinetics of the reactions were determined as a function of pH (7.0-9.7) and temperature (15-45 degrees C) by a stopped-flow technique. The rate law for the oxidation of sulfonamides by Fe(VI) is first-order with respect to each reactant. The observed second-order rate constants decreased nonlinearly with an increase in pH and are possibly related to the protonation of Fe(VI) (HFeO4- <==> H+ + FeO4(2-); pK(a,HFeO4) = 7.23) and sulfonamides (SH <==> H+ + S-; pK(a,SH) = 5.0-7.4). The activation parameters of the reactions vary with pH due to temperature dependence on the protonation of Fe(VI) and sulfonamides. These results were used to obtain enthalpy of dissociation of sulfonamides. Stoichiometry and products of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) reactions with Fe(VI) were studied in detail using various analytical techniques to evaluate the effect of the oxidation process on the fate of sulfonamides in water. At a stoichiometric ratio of 4:1 (Fe(VI): SMX), complete removal of SMX was achieved. Analyses of oxidation products of the reaction as well as kinetic measurements of substructural models of SMX suggest that the attack of Fe(VI) occurs at the isoxazole moiety as well as at the aniline moiety with minimal preference. The results of the studies reported suggest that Fe(VI) has the potential to serve as a chemical oxidant for removing sulfonamides and converting them to relatively less toxic byproducts in water.