Disinfection by-products in drinking water – a case study on Calgary, Alberta, Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Chen ◽  
Klas Ohman ◽  
Jason Sinclair ◽  
Darcy Petkau ◽  
Raymond Yau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Chlorine Demand ◽  
Public Health Protection ◽  
By Products

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) have been monitored in Calgary's drinking water for approximately 15 years. The variability of the DBPs has typically exhibited similar patterns over the period of monitoring. Due to the nature of the surface waters supplying the water treatment plants, the level of DBPs was largely influenced by surface runoff events where the level of natural organic matter (NOM) increased, which was characterized by a relatively high total organic carbon (TOC) content. Principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized for this study to quickly identify the key underlying correlations present within the very large, complex multivariate data matrix. Apart from TOC, chlorine demand, chlorine residual and temperature were observed to correlate with the formation of DBPs in the finished drinking water. In addition to TOC, PCA also indicates that pH and temperature in the distribution system could have an influence on the variability of DBPs in Calgary's drinking water. It was apparent that upgrades to the water treatment systems in Calgary have resulted in an improved removal of DBP precursors such as NOM prior to chlorination, which is a key factor in reducing the DBP levels in the drinking water, thereby providing an enhanced level of public health protection.

Approaches to Regulating Organic Carbon and the Necessity of Its Obligatory Monitoring in Drinking Water

2020 ◽  
pp. 61-66
Author(s):  
IA Khlystov ◽  
DA Schukina ◽  
EA Kuzmina ◽  
EG Plotko ◽  
LА Brusnicyna
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Total Organic Carbon ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Treatment Technique ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
By Products

Background: Current accumulation of organogenic elements in surface waters is mainly attributed to intensive anthropogenic activities. Waterborne organic matter may endanger human health when using surface waters for drinking and recreational purposes. Applied techniques of water treatment fail to ensure complete water purification and part of organic substances (their low molecular weight fraction) still remains. Chlorination of drinking water can generate a variety of halogenated by-products having adverse health effects in humans including carcinogenic ones. Our objective was to substantiate the reference value for total organic carbon (TOC) in water disinfected by chlorine. Materials and methods: We analyzed the results of laboratory testing of surface and treated water samples taken in Yekaterinburg in 2013–2014 and 2017, carried out health risk assessment, and built predicative models of by-products formation. Results: We established that, following chlorination, TOC concentrations became 1.5 times lower while chloroform and total trihalomethane concentrations became 24.5–80.2 and 22.9–54.5 times higher than initial values, respectively. The most significant non-carcinogenic risks were estimated for children aged 0-6 years from exposures to chloroform (HQ = 1.150). Individual carcinogenic risks from exposures to bromoform and dibromochloromethane as measured in water before its supplying to the distribution system, referred to the first value range (less than 1×10–6) while risks from bromodichloromethane and chloroform exposures fell in the second range (from 1×10–6 to 1×10–4). The mathematical model of the correlation between predictors (temperature, reaction time, pH, and certain chemical compounds) and levels of by-products was built. Conclusions: Our model makes it possible to predict generation of organochlorine compounds at the design stage of water treatment technique. Total organic carbon is an important indicator that should be monitored at the stages of water treatment to ensure safety of drinking water and efficiency of its disinfection.

scholarly journals Nitrosamines: A review of formation pathways, precursors, control, and occurrence in drinking water

2019 ◽  
Vol 280 ◽  
pp. 05003
Author(s):  
Maxwell Meadows ◽  
Soni M. Pradhanang ◽  
Thomas B. Boving ◽  
Hichem Hadjeres
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Water Treatment Plant ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Formation Potential ◽  
Nitrogen Containing Compounds ◽  
By Products

Nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) are emerging by-products that may be present in drinking water as by-products of water treatment plant (WTP) operations. Nitrosamines are N-DBPs that form by reaction of chloramine with certain organic nitrogen-containing compounds; however, the exact processes and environments in which nitrosamines form are still not well understood. Organic nitrogen precursors react within the WTP and distribution system, forming the toxic by-products during chloramination, or while in distribution. To best control the formation potential of nitrosamines, precursors must be removed from source water prior to chloramine disinfection. These nitrosamine forming precursors are abundant in source waters worldwide, presenting a need for further study of the mechanisms that reduce the formation potential of nitrosamines in chloramination WTPs.

Full-Scale Application of Catalytic Ozonation for Drinking Water Treatment: Case Study in China

2014 ◽  
Vol 140 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng-Qian Liu ◽  
Bang-Jun Han ◽  
Gang Wen ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Sheng-Jun Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Drinking Water Treatment ◽  
Catalytic Ozonation ◽  
Full Scale
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