Disinfection by-product formation following chlorination of drinking water: Artificial neural network models and changes in speciation with treatment

Artificial neural network (ANN) models were developed to predict disinfection by-product (DBP) formation during municipal drinking water treatment using the Information Collection Rule Treatment Studies database complied by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and total organic halide (TOX) upon chlorination of untreated water, and after conventional treatment, granular activated carbon treatment, and nanofiltration were quantified using ANNs. Highly accurate predictions of DBP concentrations were possible using physically meaningful water quality parameters as ANN inputs including dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm and one cm path length (UV₂₅₄), bromide ion concentration (Br⁻), chlorine dose, chlorination pH, contact time, and reaction temperature. This highlights the ability of ANNs to closely capture the highly complex and non-linear relationships underlying DBP formation. Accurate simulations suggest the potential use of ANNs for process control and optimization, comparison of treatment alternatives for DBP control prior to piloting, and even to reduce the number of experiments to evaluate water quality variations when operating conditions are changed. Changes in THM and HAA speciation and bromine substitution patterns following treatment are also discussed.     

Substrates for phosphorus removal-potential benefits for on-site wastewater treatment?

A large number of substrates potential for removal of phosphorus (P) in wastewater has been reviewed. The substrates consist of natural materials, industrial by-products and man-made products. Most substrates have been investigated in batch and column studies in the laboratory; others have also been tested in field trials. The results from these investigations vary, but a few substrates, e.g. wollastonite, slag material and, to some extent, light weight aggregate products, have demonstrated promising properties with regard to P-sorption capacity and hydraulics. The problems of normalisation of data are discussed, as well as the substrates potential benefits for on-site wastewater treatment.     

Impact of H2O2 and (bi)carbonate alkalinity on ammonia's inhibition of bromate formation

Ammonia can be used to minimize bromate concentrations by blocking two of three potential bromate formation pathways. It was theorized that (bi)carbonate alkalinity in the presence of ammonia would inhibit bromate formation since the pathway that ammonia does not block requires hydroxyl radicals (OH()), and (bi)carbonate alkalinity is an OH() scavenger. Experiments where (bi)carbonate alkalinity was increased from 50 to 119 mg/L (as CaCO(3)) in the presence of excess ammonia resulted in up to 50% reduction in bromate formation, providing evidence in support of the theory. While OH() is scavenged by (bi)carbonate alkalinity, it is promoted by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). When ozone reacts with natural organic matter the H(2)O(2) that is formed may therefore render ammonia less effective. Experiments conducted in this study demonstrated this principle.     

Disinfection by-products formation and precursors transformation during chlorination and chloramination of highly-polluted source water: Significance of ammonia

Many studies have demonstrated the different trends of disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation between chlorination and chloramination. However, the reactions between precursors and disinfectants are widely assumed to be “black box” and the reasons for abovementioned difference are not well illustrated. This study focused on source water with high levels of natural organic matter (NOM) and bromide, and compared the transformation of NOM specific characteristics and the ratios of specific DBPs as an equivalent of chlorine to total organic halogen (TOX) among three disinfection scenarios of chlorination, chloramination and chlorine–chloramine sequential treatment (Cl₂–NH₂Cl process). A three-reaction-phrases model was proposed thereafter to illustrate the major reactions involved in, i.e., stage-I: rapid consumption of fast reactive sites (DOC₁), which transformed to slow reactive sites (DOC₂) and measured DBPs, i.e., trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, etc; stage-II: oxidation and/or halogenation of DOC₂ into unknown TOX (UTOX) intermediates; stage-III: oxidation of UTOX intermediates into measured DBPs. The effect of ammonia was also quantified. Ammonia is observed to inhibit the formation of measured DBPs by 68–92%, 94–99%, and 92–95% of that in chlorination in Stage-I, II, and III, respectively, and the formation of UTOX is reduced by 2–80%, 60–94%, and 82–93% accordingly. These effects lead to the steady accumulation of DBPs intermediates such as UTOX, and to the elevated UTOX/TOX during chloramination and Cl₂–NH₂Cl process thereafter. The results illustrate the mechanism of ammonia participating in DBPs formation, and are valuable to fill in the gap between the transformation of precursors and the formation of different DBPs.     

饮用水处理中氯化消毒副产物三卤甲烷和卤代乙酸研究进展

三卤甲烷和卤代乙酸是饮用水氯化消毒的典型副产物。该文结合国内外学者对三卤甲烷和卤代乙酸的研究成果对这两类物质的形成的影响因素、主要检测方法及控制方法进行了总结。     

Enhancement of dye sonochemical degradation by some inorganic anions present in natural waters

The sonochemical degradation rate of the charged substrates Acid Blue 40 (AB40) and methylene blue (MB) is enhanced by scavengers of hydroxyl radicals such as bicarbonate, carbonate, bromide, iodide and (only in the case of AB40) nitrite. No rate variation was observed with chloride, nitrate or sulphate, excluding a mere ionic strength effect. Oxidation of bicarbonate, carbonate, bromide, iodide and nitrite yields the corresponding radicals CO₃⁻, Br₂⁻, I₂⁻ and NO₂, reactive but less than OH. Degradation enhancement can occur if these radicals are sonochemically formed on the surface of the collapsing cavitation bubbles and undergo there radical–radical recombination at a lesser extent than OH. In this way the radicals would be more available than OH for substrate degradation, both at the bubble surface and in the solution bulk, which could more than compensate for their lower intrinsic reactivity. The varied reactivity toward different substrates of the sonochemically formed radical species could then explain why nitrite inhibits MB degradation while enhancing that of AB40. The sonochemical formation of Br₂⁻, I₂⁻ and NO₂ can give rise to halogenation and nitration in addition to oxidation processes. In fact bromo-, iodo- and nitrophenols were detected upon sonication of phenol in the presence of the corresponding anions, but only at quite elevated concentration values of nitrite, bromide or iodide (above 10 mM). Formation of harmful halogeno- and nitroderivatives could therefore take place on sonication of some wastewater rather than of typical natural waters.     

Composition Profiles and Functional Properties of Dietary Fiber Powder from Lime Residues: Effects of Pretreatment and Drying Methods

Lime residues after juice extraction have proven to be a potential raw material for producing dietary fiber (DF) powder due to their good functional properties. Compositions and antioxidant activity of DF powder from lime residues as affected by selected pretreatment (hot-water blanching and ethanolic soaking) and drying methods, viz. hot air drying, vacuum drying, and low-pressure superheated steam drying (LPSSD) at 60–80°C, were investigated. Fresh lime residues contained significant amounts of vitamin C, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Hesperidin was a major flavonoid and only one polymethoxyflavone (i.e., tangeretin) was detected in small amounts. A decrease in the amount of interested bioactive compounds and their antioxidant activity was noted at almost all steps of processing. Higher retention of bioactive compounds was noted when the residues were subject either to vacuum drying or LPSSD; the total antioxidant activities were 61–62% and 81–82% when being assessed by the β-carotene bleaching and DPPH assays, respectively. Vacuum drying at 80°C was the most suitable condition for preparing DF powder from lime residues due to its short required drying time and its ability to retain bioactive compounds. The in vitro analyses imply that DF powder prepared by vacuum drying at 80°C has the potential to reduce blood glucose and cholesterol levels by exhibiting high glucose retardation index (GRI) and bile acid retardation index (BRI).     

饮用水管网中不同源有机污染物简析

饮用水管网中的有机污染物种类繁多, 直接威胁人类健康。本文简述了给水管网中的4类有机污染物, 即原水中带入的有机污染物、管材释放的各种添加剂及其降解产物、管垢释放产物或管垢生物膜和管内水体微生物的代谢产物、消毒副产物。根据现有的研究发现, 这4类有机物中, 以含量较多的消毒副产物类研究最多, 其次是管材释放的各种有机污染物, 而含量较低、种类繁多、取样困难的管垢释放产物及生物膜、水体微生物的代谢产物的研究较少。由于给水管网中的有机污染物成分多样, 同时在管网这个特殊的水环境中, 还会发生迁移、转化等复杂的过程, 本文在综述分析以上不同来源的污染物类型的基础上, 提出今后的研究可在高毒痕量有机污染物的鉴别、生物膜中有机污染物的释放规律及其代谢产物的定性定量分析、有机污染物的迁移转化等方面展开。     

Formation and fate of haloacetic acids (HAAs) within the water treatment plant

Most research on the occurrence of chlorinated disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water has focused on trihalomethane (THM) formation and evolution, in particular within distribution systems. In this research, we investigated the variability of the occurrence of haloacetic acids (HAAs) during the treatment process in two facilities where surface water is pre-chlorinated before being treated by conventional physico-chemical processes. The investigation focused on both seasonal and point-to-point fluctuations of HAAs. In both facilities, samples were collected weekly during 1 complete year at four points in order to generate robust data on HAAs and on complementary parameters. The results showed that the initial formation of HAAs was the highest and the most variable in the plant where levels of DBP precursor indicators and the pre-chlorination dose were both higher and more variable. Subsequent formation of HAAs from the pre-chlorination point until the settled water occurred due to remaining levels of residual chlorine and DBP precursors. However, HAA levels and in particular dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) (the preponderant HAA species in the waters under study) decreased dramatically during filtration, very probably because of biodegradation within the filter. The effect of filtration on DCAA fate was season-dependant, with the highest degradation in warm water periods and practically no variation during winter. Statistical modeling was applied to empirically identify the operational factors responsible for HAA formation and fate. Model performance to identify HAA variability in waters following pre-chlorination was much better than for water following filtration, which is due to the lack of information on mechanisms and conditions favoring DCAA degradation.     

光触媒在饮用水处理中的作用研究

目前，水源污染日益严重，同时，传统消毒剂Cl2将与水中的有机物合成大量的致癌或致诱变的副产物，对人们的身体健康带来了很大的危害。光催化氧化在去除饮用水中有机物污染物及消毒副产物方面具有突出优点，本文主要就其在饮用水处理中的研究进行综述，并提出了今后研究方向。