Enhanced toxicity effects of iron particles together with PFOA in drinking water

Toxicity of urban stormwater on Chlorella pyrenoidosa: Implications for reuse safety

Urban stormwater is an alternative water source used to mitigate water resource shortages, and ensuring the safety of stormwater reuse is essential. An in-depth understanding of both individual pollutant concentrations/loads in stormwater and holistic stormwater quality can be used to comprehensively evaluate how safely stormwater can be reused. The toxicity test takes all pollutants present in water samples into account, and the results reflect the integrated effect of these pollutants. In this study, the influence of urban stormwater sourced from different land uses on microalgae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) and the possible toxicity mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that urban stormwater, particularly residential road stormwater, significantly inhibited microalgal growth. The chlorophyll contents of microalgae exposed to residential road stormwater were relatively lower, while the corresponding values were relatively higher for microalgae exposed to grassland road stormwater. Additionally, the antioxidant-related metabolism of microalgae could be dysregulated due to exposure to urban stormwater. A possible toxicity mechanism is that urban stormwater influences metabolic pathways related to chlorophyll synthesis and further hinders photosynthesis and hence microalgal growth. To resist oxidative stress and maintain regular microalgal cell activities, the ribosome metabolism pathway was upregulated. The research results contribute to elucidating the toxicity effects of urban stormwater and hence provide useful insight for ensuring the safety of stormwater reuse. It is also worth noting that the study outcomes can only represent the influence of land use on stormwater toxicity, while the impacts of other factors (particularly rainfall-runoff characteristics) have not been considered. Therefore, the consideration of all influential factors of stormwater is strongly recommended to generate more robust results in the future and provide more effective guidance for real practices related to stormwater reuse safety.

PFAS promotes disinfection byproduct formation through triggering particle-bound organic matter release in drinking water pipes

Loose deposit particles in drinking water distribution system commonly exist as mixtures of metal oxides, organic materials, bacteria, and extracellular secretions. In addition to their turbidity-causing effects, the hazards of such particles in drinking water are rarely recognized. In this study, we found that trace per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) could dramatically promote the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) by triggering the release of particle-bound organic matter. Carboxylic PFASs have a greater ability to increase chloroacetic acid than sulfonic PFASs, and PFASs with longer chains have a greater ability to increase trichloromethane release than shorter-chain PFASs. Characterization by organic carbon and organic nitrogen detectors and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry revealed that the released organic matter was mainly composed of proteins, carbohydrates, lignin, and condensed aromatic structures, which are the main precursors for the formation of DBPs, particularly highly toxic aromatic DBPs. After the release of organic matter, the particles exhibit a decrease in surface functional groups, an increase in surface roughness, and a decrease in particle size. The findings provide new insights into the risks of loose deposits and PFASs in drinking water, not only on PFASs per se but also on its effect of increasing toxic DBPs.

Measurement of perfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water sources by DGT sampler with a novel fluorinated graphite binding gel

Extensive use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has resulted in their widespread presence in natural waters. Concern for public health requires reliable measurement methods for determining their distribution and risks. Here, a sampling method based on diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) was developed for measuring PFASs in drinking water sources. Fluorinated graphite (FG) particles were used to prepare the DGT binding gel for selective enrichment of trace PFASs in an aqueous environment. The FG-DGT method did not show sensitivity to relevant environmental parameters including pH (5.0-9.0), ionic strength (0.001-0.5 M), or DOM concentration (0-30 mg/L). The FG-DGT had enough capacity for deployment of up to four months. Six traditional and emerging PFASs including PFOS, PFOA, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFNA, and 6:2 FTSA at the ng/L level were detected in two major reservoirs serving as public drinking water sources by FG-DGT method coupled with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). PFOA appeared at the highest observed concentrations in the drinking water sources. The research demonstrates that FG-DGT is an effective and efficient tool for monitoring PFASs in drinking water.

Iron particles lower than 10 μm in drinking water dominate particle catalysis effect on disinfection byproduct formation

Iron particles could catalyze disinfection by-product (DBP) formation in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), but the catalytic effects of iron particles considering size effects have not been focused. Here, we first found that fine particles (lower than 10 μm) dominated the particle catalysis effect of the iron particles on the formation of DBPs containing multiple Cl atoms (DBP-3Cl), especially those with aromatic structure and containing multiple N atoms (DBP-3N). The loose deposit particles were filtered through 50 μm (F50), 10 μm (F10) and 1 μm (F10) membranes, and their turbidity values were 231.6, 53.4 and 1.1 NTU, respectively. In mass ratio, F50, F10 and F1 accounted for 84 %, 15 % and 1 % of unfiltered samples. Notably, the lower mass F10 generated more DBP-3Cl and DBP-3N than F50. Metal crystals and natural organic matters showed little difference among different sizes. The high catalytic activity of particles in F10 due to size effect was proved to be the essential mechanism. F1 contained few particles to affect DBP formation. In toxicity evaluation, the toxicity of F10 was even higher than F50. Therefore, fine particles with sizes lower than 10 μm may play a dominate role in the catalytic effect on DBP transformation in DWDS.

Enhanced disinfection byproducts formation by fine iron particles intercepted in household point-of-use facilities

To cope with the demand for good-quality potable water, household point-of-use (POU) facilities such as polypropylene cotton filters (PCFs) are widely used. However, the behaviors of new and used PCFs under discoloration are unclear. In this study, we found that new PCF did not effectively intercept particles under discoloration within the initial 5 d of inflow. In addition, the particles, especially the fine ones, accumulated in the long-used PCF exacerbated the risks of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and microbes. The concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetonitriles (HANs) in the effluent run through the PCF all increased over time; interestingly, all sharply increased after 5 d in accordance with the decrease in effluent iron particles. During this stage, maximum increases rate of 117.89% in THMs and 75.12% in HANs were observed. For haloacetic acids (HAAs), it served as the dominant contaminants, with concentrations approximately 10-fold greater than those of THMs and HANs. The increase showed that used PCFs could exacerbate the risks in DBPs exposure. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) also showed a similar trend, with a maximum increase from 0.0033 to 0.0055 nmol/mL. Thus, PCFs can act only as pretreatment units and should be replaced after yellow water events. This study offers important guidance for PCF usage in drinking water purification, especially under discoloration.