Application of ultrasound and quartz sand for the removal of disinfection byproducts from drinking water

Research progress of disinfection and disinfection by-products in China

Disinfection is an indispensable water treatment process for killing harmful pathogens and protecting human health. However, the disinfection has caused significant public concern due to the formation of toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs). Lots of studies on disinfection and DBPs have been performed in the world since 1974. Although related studies in China started in 1980s, a great progress has been achieved during the last three decades. Therefore, this review summarized the main achievements on disinfection and DPBs studies in China, which included: (1) the occurrence of DBPs in water of China, (2) the identification and detection methods of DBPs, (3) the formation mechanisms of DBPs during disinfection process, (4) the toxicological effects and epidemiological surveys of DBPs, (5) the control and management countermeasures of DBPs in water disinfection, and (6) the challenges and chances of DBPs studies in future. It is expected that this review would provide useful information and reference for optimizing disinfection process, reducing DBPs formation and protecting human health.

The catalytic activity of the iron-coated pumice particles used as heterogeneous catalysts in the oxidation of natural organic matter by H2O2

The oxidative removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from waters was investigated by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and iron-coated pumice particles in heterogeneous catalytic oxidation process (HCOP). Removal of trihalomethane (THM) precursors, which is formed THM by the reacts with chloride, was performed with the hydroxyl radicals. Coating the original pumice particles with iron oxides significantly enhanced the removal of NOM with peroxide. The studies were carried out in two sections: (1) decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in pure water with iron-coated pumice and (2) oxidation of THM Precursor (NOM) by hydrogen peroxide with iron-coated pumice. The monitored parameters in this study include dissolved organic carbon and trihalomethanes formation potential. The results show that iron-coated pumice catalyst significantly increased the removal efficiency of NOM in the HCOP. The results show that iron-coated pumice catalyst significantly increased the removal efficiency of NOM in the HCOP. Results show that the oxidation of NOM and remaining NOM with H2O2 is improved by the addition of iron-coated pumice particles which activate the H2O2 molecule, leading to the formation of hydroxyl radicals in a Fenton-like process.

Hybrid Adsorptive and Oxidative Removal of Natural Organic Matter Using Iron Oxide-Coated Pumice Particles

The aim of this work was to combine adsorptive and catalytic properties of iron oxide surfaces in a hybrid process using hydrogen peroxide and iron oxide-coated pumice particles to remove natural organic matter (NOM) in water. Experiments were conducted in batch, completely mixed reactors using various original and coated pumice particles. The results showed that both adsorption and catalytic oxidation mechanisms played role in the removal of NOM. The hybrid process was found to be effective in removing NOM from water having a wide range of specific UV absorbance values. Iron oxide surfaces preferentially adsorbed UV280-absorbing NOM fractions. Furthermore, the strong oxidants produced from reactions among iron oxide surfaces and hydrogen peroxide also preferentially oxidized UV280-absorbing NOM fractions. Preloading of iron oxide surfaces with NOM slightly reduced the further NOM removal performance of the hybrid process. Overall, the results suggested that the tested hybrid process may be effective for removal of NOM and control disinfection by-product formation.

Removing of Disinfection By-Product Precursors from Surface Water by Using Magnetic Graphene Oxide

The magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) was successfully synthesised by the in situ chemical co-precipitation method with Fe3+, Fe2+ and graphene oxide (GO) in laboratory and, was used as an adsorbent for disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors removing from four natural surface water samples. The results indicate that various DBPs formation significantly decreased by 7-19% to 78-98% for the four samples after MGO treatment and, the treatment process was rapidly reached equilibrium within 20 minutes. The DBP precursors removal efficiency decreased with the increasing pH value from 4 to 10. Hydrophobic compounds (humic acid and fulvic acid) are more sensitive to MGO, whereas hydrophilic and nitrogenous compounds (aromatic proteins) are more insensitive. MGO could be regenerated by using 20% (v/v) ethanol and, the DBP precursors removal efficiency can stay stable after five cycles. These results indicate that MGO can be utilized as a promising adsorbent for the removal of DBP precursors from natural surface water.