This paper is part of an ongoing study to evaluate how wastewater-derived disinfection byproducts
(DBPs) and their precursors contribute to DBPs in drinking water. Specifically, this paper presents a field survey
of many different types of wastewater treatment plants which documents that they are sources of
halogenated DBPs, if chlorine disinfection is practiced, and DBP precursors in all cases.
Because the level of ammonia in treated wastewater usually is high, the addition of chlorine
typically forms combined chlorine (chloramines), which minimizes the instantaneous formation
of most halogenated DBPs. However, nitrosamines (e.g, N-nitrosodimethylamine [NDMA])
often are formed.
Treated wastewater contains residual drinking water natural organic matter (NOM).
Although the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of the effluent organic matter
(EfOM) is relatively high compared to drinking water, the humic content of the EfOM (based
on specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA))is relatively low. Waters low in SUVA tend to be
less reactive with chlorine and typically form less trihalomethanes (THMs) and other DBPs per
unit DOC. The presence of THM precursors and, in some cases, haloacetic acid precursors
correlates best with SUVA. Preliminary data suggest that the formation of certain nitrogenous
DBPs (e.g., haloacetonitriles and nitrosamines) or the presence of their precursors in treated
wastewater is significant. The presence of precursors for some nitrogenous DBPs correlates with
the level of dissolved organic nitrogen. Includes 32 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 1.6 MB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 19 |
| Published : | 06/17/2005 |
