Understanding the operational parameters affecting NDMA formation at Advanced Water Treatment Plants

Drinking water treatment and associated toxic byproducts: Concurrence and urgence

Reclaimed water is highly required for environmental sustainability and to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs). Chemical processes are frequently associated with highly hazardous and toxic by-products, like nitrosamines, trihalomethanes, haloaldehydes, haloketones, and haloacetic acids. In this context, we aim to summarize the formation of various commonly produced disinfection by-products (DBPs) during wastewater treatment and their treatment approaches. Owing to DBPs formation, we discussed permissible limits, concentrations in various water systems reported globally, and their consequences on humans. While most reviews focus on DBPs detection methods, this review discusses factors affecting DBPs formation and critically reviews various remediation approaches, such as adsorption, reverse osmosis, nano/micro-filtration, UV treatment, ozonation, and advanced oxidation process. However, research in the detection of hazardous DBPs and their removal is quite at an early and initial stage, and therefore, numerous advancements are required prior to scale-up at commercial level. DBPs abatement in wastewater treatment approach should be considered. This review provides the baseline for optimizing DBPs formation and advancements in the remediation process, efficiently reducing their production and providing safe, clean drinking water. Future studies should focus on a more efficient and rigorous understanding of DBPs properties and degradation of hazardous pollutants using low-cost techniques in wastewater treatment.

Photodegradation of N-nitrosodimethylamine under 365 nm Light Emitting Diode Irradiation

The photodegradation of NDMA has been extensively investigated under the irradiation of low-pressure or medium-pressure Hg lamps and xenon lamp. However, NDMA photolysis remains unknown under 365 nm ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV-LED) irradiation. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation on NDMA photodegradation by 365 nm UV-LED illumination. The quantum yield of NDMA photolysis under 365 nm UV-LED irradiation was determined to be 0.0312 ± 0.0047. The influence of pH on NDMA photodegradation was found to be wavelength dependent. Compared with distilled and deionized water (DDW), tap water inhibited NDMA photodegradation, but secondary wastewater effluent did not. Based on the quantification of NDMA photolysis products and pH influence, the photooxidation of the excited NDMA in the nonprotonated form was proposed to be a major pathway for NDMA photodegradation under the irradiation of UV-LED lamp at 365 nm. This study further enhances our knowledge on NDMA photodegradation. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Quantum yield of NDMA photolysis at 365 nm was determined to be 0.0312 ± 0.0047. The influence of pH on NDMA photodegradation was wavelength dependent. NDMA photodegradation was inhibited in tap water compared with that in DDW. NDMA photodegradation in SWE was similar to that in DDW. Excited nonprotonated NDMA photooxidation is a major degradation pathway.

Potential of UV-B and UV-C irradiation in disinfecting microorganisms and removing N-nitrosodimethylamine and 1,4-dioxane for potable water reuse: A review

The ultraviolet (UV)-based advanced oxidation process (AOP) is a powerful technology for removing pathogenic microorganisms and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) from water. AOP in potable water reuse has been predominantly based on traditional low-pressure mercury (LP-Hg) lamps at 254 nm wavelength, supplemented by hydrogen peroxide addition. In this review, we assessed the potential of unconventional UV wavelengths (UV-B, 280-315 nm and UV-C, 100-280 nm) compared to conventional one (254 nm) in achieving the attenuation of pathogens and CECs. At the same UV doses, conventional 254 nm LP-Hg lamps and other sources such as, 222 nm KrCl lamps and 265 nm UV-LEDs, showed similar disinfection capability for viruses, protozoa, and bacteria, and the effect of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) addition on disinfection remained unclear. The attenuation levels of key CECs in potable water reuse (N-nitrosodimethylamine and 1,4-dioxane) by 185 + 254 nm LP-Hg or 222 nm KrCl lamps were generally greater than those by conventional 254 nm LP-Hg and other UV lamps. CEC degradation was generally enhanced by H₂O₂ addition. Overall, our review suggests that 222 nm KrCl or 185 + 254 nm LP-Hg lamps with the addition of H₂O₂ would be the best alternative to conventional 254 nm LP-Hg lamps for achieving target removal levels of both pathogens and CECs in potable water reuse.

Formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from tetracycline antibiotics during the disinfection of ammonium-containing water: The role of antibiotics dissociation and active chlorine species

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a nitrosamine, is a typical nitrogenous disinfection byproduct. In this study, NDMA formation potential and mechanism, from tetracycline and oxytetracycline (as model precursors) in an ammonium-contaminating water, were investigated. The results indicated that both monochloramine and dichloramine played a vital role in NDMA formation. Additionally, the determination of NDMA formation potential (NDMA FP) at a wide range of pH showed that the unprotonated tetracycline tended to have a higher NDMA conversion ratio. We also found that the dissociation of hydroxyl on the meta-position of dimethylamine group promoted on NDMA formation. The detection of significant intermediate products showed that N-chloro unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH-Cl) and sequences of chlorine substitution products were key intermediates, indicating that NDMA formation occurred via the UDMH mechanism pathway. These results improve the knowledge on NDMA formation mechanism and the control strategies during the disinfection of ammonium-containing water.

Degradation of N-nitrosamines and 1,4-dioxane using vacuum ultraviolet irradiation (UV254+185 nm or UV172 nm)

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) play a vital role in attenuating contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) during potable water reuse. AOPs are conventionally performed by irradiating with a 254-nm low-pressure (LP) mercury-vapor (Hg) ultraviolet (UV) lamp along with chemical treatment. Compared with UV-C light treatment (200-280 nm), vacuum-UV (V-UV) light treatment (100-200 nm) is advantageous in terms of hydroxyl radical generation without the requirement for chemical treatment. This study assessed the potential of V-UV (172-nm Xe₂ excimer or 185 + 254-nm LP-Hg) lamps on the destruction of two major CECs in potable water reuse, namely N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and 1,4-dioxane. Direct irradiation using UV_{254 nm} or UV_{185+254 nm} lamps achieved ≥94% removal of N-nitrosamines, including NDMA, at a UV dose of 900 mJ/cm². In contrast, the Xe₂ excimer lamp (UV_{172 nm}) was less effective for N-nitrosamine removal, achieving up to 82% removal of NDMA. The removal of 1,4-dioxane by V-UV lamps at a UV dose of 900 mJ/cm² reached 51% (UV_{172 nm}) and 28% (UV_{185+254 nm}), both of which results were superior to that obtained using a conventional UV_{254 nm} lamp (10%). The addition of hydrogen peroxide during UV_{254 nm} or UV_{185+254 nm} irradiation was found to enhance the removal of 1,4-dioxane, while UV_{172 nm} irradiation without hydrogen peroxide addition still exhibited greater efficiencies than those UV_{254 nm} lamps-based AOPs. Overall, this study demonstrated that the removal of both NDMA and 1,4-dioxane can be successfully achieved using either a UV_{254+185 nm} lamp with hydrogen peroxide or a UV_{172 nm} Xe₂ excimer lamp without hydrogen peroxide.

Application of stabilized hypobromite for controlling membrane fouling and N-nitrosodimethylamine formation

Chloramination is a conventional and successful pre-disinfection approach to control biological fouling for reverse osmosis (RO) treatment in water reuse. This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of using a new disinfectant-stabilized hypobromite-in controlling membrane fouling and the formation of a particular carcinogenic disinfection byproduct (DBP)-N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Our accelerated chemical exposure tests showed that the new disinfectant reduced the permeability of a polyamide RO membrane permeability from 6.7 to 4.1 L/m²hbar; however, its treatment impact was equivalent to that of chloramine. The disinfection efficacy of stabilized hypobromite was greater than that of chloramine when evaluated with intact bacterial counts, which suggests its potential for mitigating membrane biofouling. Additional pilot-scale tests using synthetic wastewater demonstrated that pre-disinfection with the use of stabilized hypobromite inhibits membrane fouling. Among 13 halogenated DBPs evaluated, the formation of bromoform by stabilized hypobromite was higher than that by chloramine at a high dose of 10 mg/L, thus suggesting the need for optimizing chemical doses for achieving sufficient biofouling mitigation. NDMA formation upon stabilized hypobromite treatment in two different types of actual treated wastewaters was found to be negligible and considerably lower than that by chloramine treatment. In addition, NDMA formation potential by stabilized hypobromite was 2-5 orders of magnitude lower than that by chloramine. Our findings suggest the potential of using stabilized hypobromite for controlling NDMA formation and biofouling, which are the keys to successful potable water reuse.

A surrogate-based approach for trace organic chemical removal by a high-rejection reverse osmosis membrane

Public confidence in the safety of recycled water for potable water reuse can be improved by providing assurance regarding high removal of trace organic chemicals (TOrCs) by reverse osmosis (RO) treatment. This pilot-scale study assessed the effectiveness of a surrogate indicator-N-Nitrosodimethlyamine (NDMA)-for ensuring a high level of TOrC removal by a high-rejection RO membrane. The pilot-scale tests showed that the rejection of 23 TOrCs by the high-rejection RO membrane was consistently greater than NDMA rejection. In addition, NDMA rejection was highly correlated with TOrC rejection across varied operating conditions, indicating that NDMA can be used as a conservative surrogate indicator for TOrC removal. The RO treatment at a permeate flux of 20 L/m² h and feed temperature of 13-27 °C resulted in as high as 75-87% NDMA rejection, which was considerably greater than a conventional low-pressure RO membrane (26-47%). However, the high-rejection RO membrane required a transmembrane pressure that was greater than that of the low-pressure RO membrane. Despite this disadvantage, this study suggests that the high-rejection RO membrane can effectively ensure a high level of TOrC removal (≥65%) when NDMA is used as a surrogate indicator, which cannot be ensured by assessing conventional conductivity rejection.

The mechanism of monochloramine disproportionation under acidic conditions

Monochloramine is a widely employed agent in water treatment technologies. However, its utilization has some drawbacks like the transformation of the active species into the undesired dichloramine. Although it is more pronounced in acidic solutions, the features of this reaction have still remained largely unexplored in the pH < 4 region. In this study the decomposition of monochloramine is examined under such conditions by using kinetic and computational methods. Fast kinetics measurements have convincingly showed that the disproportion into dicloramine is relatively fast and can be studied without any interference from side reactions. By varying the pH, the deprotonation constant of monochloramine has been determined by UV spectroscopy (K_a = 0.023 ± 0.005 M for I = 1.0 M NaClO₄, and T = 25.0 °C). Dichloramine formation via monochloramine disproportion was found to follow second-order kinetics. The computations have provided the reaction mechanism and its free energy profile in accord with the proposed kinetic model. This involves the reaction between the protonated and unprotonated forms of monochloramine, with a rate constant k = 335.3 ± 11.8 M^-1 s^-1, corresponding to an activation free energy barrier of 14.1 kcal mol^-1. The simulations predicted a barrier of 14.9 kcal mol^-1 and revealed a key short-lived chlorine-bridged intermediate which yields dichloroamine and ammonium ion through a deprotonation-coupled chlorine shift.

Orbitrap molecular fingerprint of dissolved organic matter in natural waters and its relationship with NDMA formation potential

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a disinfection byproduct that has been classified as probable human carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency. According to the published literature, natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) can be a source of NDMA precursors in drinking water. New advances in chemical characterization of DOM with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) are allowing researchers to understand these ultra-complex mixtures. The objective of this study is to investigate analytical methodologies based on HRMS to explore NDMA formation from natural waters. To this aim, different waters from drinking water reservoirs in Spain containing NDMA precursors (quantified by means of NDMA formation potential) in concentrations between 17 and 60 ng/L have been studied. The workflow includes DOM solid-phase extraction and Orbitrap analysis with and without chromatographic separation. Here, we show that the molecular composition of DOM across the studied drinking water reservoirs is correlated with the NDMA formation potential. In particular, we found that NDMA formation potential is associated with compounds with high hydrogen saturation (H/C ≥ 1.5), corresponding also to reservoirs with higher background nutrient concentrations and wastewater indicators. Further chromatographic fractionation did not allow better definition of these possible precursors as they were present in different fractions of the chromatogram, suggesting that they were isomerically complex.

Fungal biodegradation of the N-nitrosodimethylamine precursors venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine in water

Antidepressant drugs such as Venlafaxine (VFX) and O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODMVFX) are emerging contaminants that are commonly detected in aquatic environments, since conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to completely remove them. They can be precursors of hazardous by-products, such as the carcinogenic N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), generated upon water chlorination, as they contain the dimethylamino moiety, necessary for the formation of NDMA. In this study, the capability of three white rot fungi (Trametes versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus) to remove both antidepressants from water and to decrease NDMA formation potential was investigated. Furthermore, transformation by-products (TPs) generated along the treatment process were elucidated and also correlated with their NDMA formation potential. Very promising results were obtained for T. versicolor and G. lucidum, both being able to remove up to 100% of ODMVFX. In the case of VFX, which is very recalcitrant to conventional wastewater treatment, a 70% of removal was achieved by T. versicolor, along with a reduction in NDMA formation potential, thus decreasing the associated problems for human health and the environment. However, the NDMA formation potential remained practically constant during treatment with G. lucidum despite of the equally high VFX removal (70%). This difference was attributed to the generation of different TPs during both fungal treatments. For example, G. lucidum generated more ODMVFX, which actually has a higher NDMA formation potential than the parent compound itself.

Critical review of major sources of human exposure to N-nitrosamines

More than 24 N-nitrosamine compounds contribute to the total N-nitrosamine (TNA) burden monitored routinely to assess human exposure to this important group of known and suspected human carcinogens. A literature review (n = 122) identified multiple sources of human exposure to TNAs, including waters (40 ± 10.5 ng/L; average ± standard deviation), food and beverages (6.7 ± 0.8 ng/g), tobacco (16,100 ± 3650 ng/g) and personal care products (1500 ± 750 ng/g). Due to source control interventions, levels of TNAs in beer have dropped by about 96% between 1980 and 1990, whereas N-nitrosamine levels in other known sources have shown little to no change. Maximum daily TNA exposure in the U.S. in units of ng/d is estimated at 25,000 ± 4,950, driven by consumption of tobacco products (22,000 ± 4350), food (1900 ± 380), alcohol (1000 ± 200), and drinking water (120 ± 24). Behavioral choices of individuals in non-occupational settings were calculated to result in a spectrum of exposure values ranging from a lower bound of 1900 ± 380 ng/d to a higher bound of 25,000 ± 4950 ng/d, indicating opportunities for a possible 12-fold reduction in TNA exposure to 8% of the above maximum through deliberate choices in diet and lifestyle.

Removal Characteristics of N-Nitrosamines and Their Precursors by Pilot-Scale Integrated Membrane Systems for Water Reuse

This study investigated the removal characteristics of N-Nitrosamines and their precursors at three pilot-scale water reclamation plants. These plants applies different integrated membrane systems: (1) microfiltration (MF)/nanofiltration (NF)/reverse osmosis (RO) membrane; (2) sand filtration/three-stage RO; and (3) ultrafiltration (UF)/NF and UF/RO. Variable removal of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by the RO processes could be attributed to membrane fouling and the feed water temperature. The effect of membrane fouling on N-Nitrosamine removal was extensively evaluated at one of the plants by conducting one month of operation and chemical cleaning of the RO element. Membrane fouling enhanced N-Nitrosamine removal by the pilot-scale RO process. This finding contributes to better understanding of the variable removal of NDMA by RO processes. This study also investigated the removal characteristics of N-Nitrosamine precursors. The NF and RO processes greatly reduced NDMA formation potential (FP), but the UF process had little effect. The contributions of MF, NF, and RO processes for reducing FPs of NDMA, N-Nitrosopyrrolidine and N-Nitrosodiethylamine were different, suggesting different size distributions of their precursors.

Online monitoring of N-nitrosodimethylamine rejection as a performance indicator of trace organic chemical removal by reverse osmosis

The security of recycled water quality in potable reuse can be enhanced by improving the credibility of reverse osmosis (RO) treatment for the removal of trace organic chemicals (TOrCs). This study evaluated the potential of online monitoring of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) before and after RO treatment as a surrogate indicator for TOrC removal by RO. This pilot-scale study monitored NDMA concentrations in RO feedwater (ultrafiltration-treated wastewater) and RO permeate every 22 min using novel online NDMA analyzers-high-performance liquid chromatography followed by photochemical reaction and chemiluminescence detection. NDMA rejection by RO varied considerably in response to changes in operating conditions (permeate flux and feedwater temperature). A high linear correlation between NDMA rejection and the rejection of six other TOrCs was observed. The linear correlation was also identified for an RO membrane damaged with chlorine. The correlation between another potential surrogate indicator (conductivity rejection) and TOrC rejection was relatively low. NDMA, which is the smallest compound among regulated TOrCs, revealed rejections lower than the other TOrCs, indicating that NDMA rejection can be a conservative surrogate indicator capable of predicting changes in TOrC removal.

High rejection reverse osmosis membrane for removal of N-nitrosamines and their precursors

Direct potable reuse is becoming a feasible option to cope with water shortages. It requires more stringent water quality assurance than indirect potable reuse. Thus, the development of a high-rejection reverse osmosis (RO) membrane for the removal of one of the most challenging chemicals in potable reuse - N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) - ensures further system confidence in reclaimed water quality. This study aimed to achieve over 90% removal of NDMA by modifying three commercial and one prototype RO membrane using heat treatment. Application of heat treatment to a prototype membrane resulted in a record high removal of 92% (1.1-log) of NDMA. Heat treatment reduced conductivity rejection and permeability, while secondary amines, selected as N-nitrosamine precursors, were still well rejected (>98%) regardless of RO membrane type. This study also demonstrated the highly stable separation performance of the heat-treated prototype membrane under conditions of varying feed temperature and permeate flux. Fouling propensity of the prototype membrane was lower than a commercial RO membrane. This study identified a need to develop highly selective RO membranes with high permeability to ensure the feasibility of using these membranes at full scale.

Removal of both N-nitrosodimethylamine and trihalomethanes precursors in a single treatment using ion exchange resins

Drinking water utilities are relying more than ever on water sources impacted by wastewater effluents. Disinfection/oxidation of these waters during water treatment may lead to the formation of several disinfection by-products, including the probable human carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and the regulated trihalomethanes (THMs). In this study, the potential of ion exchange resins to control both NDMA and THMs precursors in a single treatment is presented. Two ion exchange resins were examined, a cation exchange resin (Plus) to target NDMA precursors and an anion exchange resin (MIEX) for THMs precursors control. We applied the resins, individually and combined, in the treatment of surface and wastewater effluent samples. The treatment with both resins removed simultaneously NDMA (43-85%) and THMs (39-65%) precursors. However, no removal of NDMA precursors was observed in the surface water with low initial NDMA FP (14 ng/L). The removals of NDMA FP and THMs FP with Plus and MIEX resins applied alone were (49-90%) and (41-69%), respectively. These results suggest no interaction between the resins, and thus the feasibility of effectively controlling NDMA and THMs precursors concomitantly. Additionally, the effects of the wastewater impact and the natural attenuation of precursors were studied. The results showed that neither the wastewater content nor the attenuation of the precursor affected the removals of NDMA and THMs precursors. Finally, experiments using a wastewater effluent sample showed that an increase in the calcium concentration resulted in a reduction in the removal of NDMA precursors of about 50%.

Role of membrane fouling substances on the rejection of N-nitrosamines by reverse osmosis

The impact of fouling substances on the rejection of four N-nitrosamines by a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane was evaluated by characterizing individual organic fractions in a secondary wastewater effluent and deploying a novel high-performance liquid chromatography-photochemical reaction-chemiluminescence (HPLC-PR-CL) analytical technique. The HPLC-PR-CL analytical technique allowed for a systematic examination of the correlation between the fouling level and the permeation of N-nitrosamines in the secondary wastewater effluent and synthetic wastewaters through an RO membrane. Membrane fouling caused by the secondary wastewater effluent led to a notable decrease in the permeation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) while a smaller but nevertheless discernible decrease in the permeation of N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) was also observed. Fluorescence spectrometry analysis revealed that major foulants in the secondary wastewater effluent were humic and fulvic acid-like substances. Analysis using the size exclusion chromatography technique also identified polysaccharides and proteins as additional fouling substances. Thus, further examination was conducted using solutions containing model foulants (i.e., sodium alginate, bovine serum albumin, humic acid and two fulvic acids). Similar to the secondary wastewater effluent, membrane fouling with fulvic acid solutions resulted in a decrease in N-nitrosamine permeation. In contrast, membrane fouling with the other model foulants resulted in a negligible impact on N-nitrosamine permeation. Overall, these results suggest that the impact of fouling on the permeation of N-nitrosamines by RO is governed by specific small organic fractions (e.g. fulvic acid-like organics) in the secondary wastewater effluent.

A rapid and reliable technique for N-nitrosodimethylamine analysis in reclaimed water by HPLC-photochemical reaction-chemiluminescence

A fast and reliable analytical technique was evaluated and validated for determination of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation and rejection by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in potable water reuse applications. The analytical instrument used in this study is high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), photochemical reaction (PR) and chemiluminescence (CL) - namely HPLC-PR-CL. Results reported here show that HPLC-PR-CL can be used to measure NDMA with a similar level of accuracy compared to conventional and more time-consuming techniques using gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry detection in combination with solid phase extraction. Among key residual chemicals (i.e. monochloramine, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite) in reclaimed wastewater, hypochlorite was the only constituent that interfered with the determination of NDMA by HPLC-PR-CL. However, hypochlorite interference was eliminated by adding ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Direct injection of ultrafiltration (UF)-treated wastewater samples into HPLC-PR-CL also resulted in an underestimation of the NDMA concentration possibly due to interference by organic substances in the UF-treated wastewater. Accurate determination of NDMA concentrations in UF-treated wastewater was achieved by reducing the sample injection volume from 200 to 20 μL, though this increased the method detection limit from 0.2 to 2 ng/L. In contrast, no interference was observed with RO permeate. These results suggest that RO membranes could remove part of substances that interfere with the NDMA analysis by HPLC-PR-CL. In addition, RO treatment experiments demonstrated that HPLC-PR-CL was capable of evaluating near real-time variation in NDMA rejection by RO.

Sample Enrichment for Bioanalytical Assessment of Disinfected Drinking Water: Concentrating the Polar, the Volatiles, and the Unknowns

Enrichment methods used in sample preparation for the bioanalytical assessment of disinfected drinking water result in the loss of volatile and hydrophilic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and hence likely tend to underestimate biological effects. We developed and evaluated methods that are compatible with bioassays, for extracting nonvolatile and volatile DBPs from chlorinated and chloraminated drinking water to minimize the loss of analytes. For nonvolatile DBPs, solid-phase extraction (SPE) with TELOS ENV as solid phase performed superior compared to ten other sorbents. SPE yielded >70% recovery of nonpurgeable adsorbable organic halogens (AOX). For volatile DBPs, cryogenic vacuum distillation performed unsatisfactorily. Purge and cold-trap with crushed ice serving as condensation nuclei achieved recoveries of 50-100% for trihalomethanes and haloacetonitriles and approximately 60-90% for purged AOX from tap water. We compared the purgeable versus the nonpurgeable fraction by combining purge-and-trap extraction with SPE. The purgeable DBP fraction enriched with the purge-and-trap method exerted a lower oxidative stress response in mammalian cells than the nonpurgeable DBPs enriched with SPE after purging, while contributions of both fractions to bacterial cytotoxicity was more variable. 37 quantified DBPs explained almost the entire AOX in the purge-and-trap extracts, but <16% in the SPE extracts demonstrating that the nonpurgeable fraction is dominated by unknown DBPs.

Bioanalytical and chemical evaluation of disinfection by-products in swimming pool water

Pool water disinfection is vital to prevent microbial pathogens. However, potentially hazardous disinfection by-products (DBP) are formed from the reaction between disinfectants and organic/inorganic precursors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of DBPs in various swimming pool types in Brisbane, Australia, including outdoor, indoor and baby pools, and the dynamics after a complete water renewal. Chemical analysis of 36 regulated and commonly found DBPs and total adsorbable organic halogens as well as in vitro bioassays targeting cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and genotoxicity were used to evaluate swimming pool water quality. Dichloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid dominated in the pool water samples with higher levels (up to 2600 μg/L) than the health guideline values set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (100 μg/L). Chlorinated DBPs occurred at higher concentrations compared to tap water, while brominated DBPs decreased gradually with increasing pool water age. Biological effects were expressed as chloroacetic acid equivalent concentrations and compared to predicted effects from chemical analysis and biological characterisation of haloacetic acids. The quantified haloacetic acids explained 35-118% of the absorbable organic halogens but less than 4% of the observed non-specific toxicity (cytotoxicity), and less than 1% of the observed oxidative stress response and genotoxicity. While the DBP concentrations in Australian pools found in this study are not likely to cause any adverse health effect, they are higher than in other countries and could be reduced by better hygiene of pool users, such as thorough showering prior to entering the pool and avoiding urination during swimming.

Characterization of pharmaceuticals and personal care products as N-nitrosodimethylamine precursors during disinfection processes using free chlorine and chlorine dioxide

The worldwide detection of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environment and drinking water has caused wide concern in recent years. The possibility for concurrent formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) during disinfection has become another significant concern for water quality. This study demonstrates that a group of PPCPs containing amine groups can serve as NDMA precursors during free chlorine or chlorine dioxide (ClO2) chlorination processes. Selected PPCPs after screening by NDMA yield were further investigated for NDMA formation conditions. High disinfectant dose and initial PPCP concentration resulted in relatively high NDMA formation potential. Linear kinetic models were developed for NDMA formation during chlorination of selected PPCPs. Although the PPCP precursors were removed significantly during chlorination, they were not completely mineralized based on the total organic carbon (TOC) loss. The existence of another possible pathway for direct formation of NDMA from tertiary amine during chlorination was indicated, in which dimethylamine (DMA) was not involved. It is recommended to control the initial PPCP concentrations prior to disinfection and to shorten the contact time to reduce the NDMA formation. ClO2 is suggested to be a proper disinfectant in order to reduce the NDMA formation.

Factors affecting the formation of disinfection by-products during chlorination and chloramination of secondary effluent for the production of high quality recycled water

During the production of high quality recycled water by reverse osmosis membrane filtration secondary effluent must be disinfected to limit biofouling on the membrane surface. Advanced Water Treatment Plants in South East Queensland, Australia use disinfectant contact times ranging from 30 min up to 24 h. Disinfectants such as chlorine and chloramines react with effluent organic matter to generate disinfection by-products (DBPs) which could be potentially hazardous to human health if the water is destined for supplementing public water supplies. In this context, secondary effluents are of concern because of their high total organic carbon content which can act as DBP precursors. Also, effluent organic matter may form different DBPs to those formed from natural organic matter during conventional drinking water treatment, either in quantity, identity or simply in the abundance of different DBPs relative to each other. It cannot be assumed per se with certainty that DBP formation will be affected in the same way by operational changes as in drinking water production. Response surface modelling has been employed in this study at the bench scale to investigate the effect of reaction time (0-24 h), pH (5.5-8.5), temperature (23-35 °C), disinfection strategy (chlorine vs chloramines used prior to membrane treatment) and the interaction between these different parameters on DBP formation during disinfection of secondary effluent. The concentration of halogenated DBPs formed during the first 24 h of reaction with the different disinfectants followed the order chlorination >> in line-formed monochloramine > pre-formed monochloramine. Contact time with chlorine was the major influencing factor on DBP formation during chlorination, except for the bromine-containing trihalomethanes and dibromoacetonitrile for which pH was more significant. Chlorination at high pH led to an increased formation of chloral hydrate, trichloronitromethane, dibromoacetonitrile and the four trihalomethanes while the opposite effect was observed for the other targeted DBPs. Temperature was identified as the least influencing parameter compared to pH and reaction time for all DBPs in all the disinfection strategies, except for the formation of chloral hydrate where pH and temperature had a similar significance and bromoform that was similarly affected by temperature and reaction time. Chloramines employed at pH 8.5 reduced the concentration of all studied DBPs compared to pH 5.5. Furthermore, reaction time was the most significant factor for trichloronitromethane, chloroform, trichloroacetonitrile, dichloroacetonitrile and bromochloroacetonitrile formation while pH was the most influencing factor affecting the formation of the remaining DBPs.

N-nitrosamine rejection by reverse osmosis membranes: a full-scale study

This study aims to provide longitudinal and spatial insights to the rejection of N-nitrosamines by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes during sampling campaigns at three full-scale water recycling plants. Samples were collected at all individual filtration stages as well as at a cool and a warm weather period to elucidate the impact of recovery and feed temperature on the rejection of N-nitrosamines. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was detected in all RO feed samples varying between 7 and 32 ng/L. Concentrations of most other N-nitrosamines in the feed solutions were determined to be lower than their detection limits (3-5 ng/L) but higher concentrations were detected in the feed after each filtration stage. As a notable exception, in one plant, N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) was observed at high concentrations in RO feed (177-475 ng/L) and permeate (34-76 ng/L). Overall rejection of NDMA among the three RO systems varied widely from 4 to 47%. Data presented here suggest that the feed temperature can influence rejection of NDMA. A considerable variation in NDMA rejection across the three RO stages (14-78%) was also observed. Overall NMOR rejections were consistently high ranging from 81 to 84%. On the other hand, overall rejection of N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) varied from negligible to 53%, which was considerably lower than values reported in previous laboratory-scale studies. A comparison between results reported here and the literature indicates that there can be some discrepancy in N-nitrosamine rejection data between laboratory- and full-scale studies probably due to differences in water recoveries and operating conditions (e.g. temperature, membrane fouling, and hydraulic conditions).

NDMA formation in secondary wastewater effluent

Concern over prospective levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in waters has increased in recent years due to its disinfection byproduct formation potential from chloramination. It has been mooted that this is promoted by organic precursors from municipal wastewaters, such that there is a more significant risk of excessive levels in water reuse applications. Experiments conducted on chloramination and chlorination of secondary wastewater have confirmed that that significant NDMA formation arises only from chloramination, with its concentration varying with test conditions used. A full factor analysis revealed all parameters studied (temperature, pH, monochloramine dose and contact time), both individually and synergistically, to have a statistically significant impact on NDMA formation with contact time being the most important. At raw water temperatures below 10 °C, the NDMA concentration can be minimised to below the 10 ng L(-1) threshold by not exceeding a monochloramine dose of 2 mg L(-1) as Cl(2). However, at higher water temperatures other measures are required to suppress NDMA formation, such as reducing the contact time (which could prove impractical in most applications) or maintaining a pH below 6. Further trials are required to fully develop the operating envelope to ensure NDMA concentrations do not exceed the 10 ng L(-1) threshold, or else to identify effective pretreatment methods for removing the NDMA precursors.

Assessment of degradation byproducts and NDMA formation potential during UV and UV/H2O2 treatment of doxylamine in the presence of monochloramine

UV-C radiation is the U.S. EPA recommended technology to remove N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) during drinking and recycled water production. Frequently, H(2)O(2) is added to the treatment to remove other recalcitrant compounds and to prevent NDMA reformation. However, the transformation of NDMA precursors during the UV and UV/H(2)O(2) process and the consequences for NDMA formation potential are currently not well understood, in particular in the presence of monochloramine. In this study, doxylamine has been chosen as a model compound to elucidate its degradation byproducts in the UV and UV/H(2)O(2) process and correlate those with changes to the NDMA formation potential. This study shows that during UV treatment in the presence and absence of monochloramine, NDMA formation potential can be halved. However, an increase of more than 30% was observed when hydrogen peroxide was added. Ultrafast liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer was used for screening and structural elucidation of degradation byproducts identifying 21 chemical structures from the original parent compound. This work shows that further oxidation of NDMA precursors does not necessarily lead to a decrease in NDMA formation potential. Degradation byproducts with increased electron density in the vicinity of the dimethylamino moiety, for example induced by hydroxylation, may have a higher yield of nucleophilic substitution and subsequent NDMA formation compared to the parent compound during chloramination. This work demonstrates the need to consider the formation of oxidation byproducts and associated implications for the control and management of NDMA formation in downstream processes and distribution when integrating oxidative treatments into a treatment train generating either drinking water or recycled water for potable reuse.

Performance of a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) system: flux stability and removal of trace organics

Results reported here highlight the potential and several challenges in the development of a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) process for the treatment of municipal wastewater. Following the initial gradual decline, a stable permeate flux value was obtained after approximately four days of continuous operation. There was evidence of continuous deterioration of biological activity of the OMBR system, possibly due to the build-up of salinity in the reactor. The removal of 25 out of 27 trace organic compounds with molecular weight higher than 266 g/mol was above 80% and was possibly governed by the interplay between physical separation of the FO membrane and biodegradation. In contrast, the removal efficiency values of the other 23 trace organic compounds with molecular weight less than 266 g/mol were very scattered. The removal efficiency of these low molecular weight compounds by OMBR treatment appears to depend mostly on biological degradation.