The effects of UV disinfection on drinking water quality in distribution systems

UV treatment is a cost-effective disinfection process for drinking water, but concerned to have negative effects on water quality in distribution system by changed DOM structure. In the study, the authors evaluated the effects of UV disinfection on the water quality in the distribution system by investigating structure of DOM, concentration of AOC, chlorine demand and DBP formation before and after UV disinfection process. Although UV treatment did not affect concentration of AOC and characteristics of DOM (e.g., DOC, UV_254, SUVA₂₅₄, the ratio of hydrophilic/hydrophobic fractions, and distribution of molecular weight) significantly, the increase of low molecular fraction was observed after UV treatment, in dry season. Chlorine demand and THMFP are also increased with chlorination of UV treated water. This implies that UV irradiation can cleave DOM, but molecular weights of broken DOM are not low enough to be used directly by microorganisms in distribution system. Nonetheless, modification of DOM structure can affect water quality of distribution system as it can increase chlorine demands and DBPs formation by post-chlorination.