A comparative study of the effects of ozonation and TiO2-catalyzed ozonation on the selected chlorine disinfection by-product precursor content and structure

DFT calculation, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation study on substituted phenylacetamide and benzohydrazide derivatives

The atomic and molecular properties of the title compounds were calculated by Jaguar using a basis set B3LYP/6-31G**⁺⁺ with hybrid DFT in the gas phase, to determine the chemical reactivity. Analysis of quantum chemical features such as HOMO and LUMO explained that the electronic charge transfer occurred within the system through conjugated paths of the selected compounds. The nucleophilic and electrophilic reactive sites are recognized from the molecular electrostatic potential plot. Electrophilic and nucleophilic attack-prone molecular sites were predicted by mapping ALIE value to the molecular surface. The bond dissociation energy of the high active compound 15 (2-chloro-N-(2-(2-(2-(2-chlorobenzoyl)hydrazineyl)-2-oxoethoxy)phenyl)acetamide) was calculated to assess the probability of compound autoxidation or degradation. Further, molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, and ADMET profile of the degradation products (DPs) of compound 15 was carried out to determine the binding affinity and toxicity profile of the formed DPs compared with the parent compound. A 150-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed to evaluate the binding stability of the compound 15/4URL complex using Desmond. Binding free energy and binding affinity of the complex were computed for 100 trajectory frames using the MM-GBSA approach.

Mechanism and toxicity evaluation of catalytic ozonation over Cu/Ce-Al2O3 system aiming at degradation of humic acid in real wastewater

Humic acid (HA) is the main component of organic matter in effluent from wastewater treatment. The effective removal of HA is significant. In this study, a novel catalyst was prepared using a transition metal oxide as the active component and Al2O3 as a granular carrier. The mechanism of catalytic ozonation of HA under neutral pH conditions and its efficiency were investigated. Under the chosen conditions (an ozone concentration of 2.2 mg/L, 50 mg/L HA solution, catalyst dosage of 5 g/L and initial pH of 6.49), the Cu/Ce-Al2O3 bimetallic catalyst led to 54.79% TOC removal rate after 30 min; the removal rate by ozone alone was only 20.49%. The characteristics of organic compounds determined by FT-IR and GC-MS showed that organic compounds were degraded significantly by the catalytic treatment. The addition of catalysts could effectively degrade toxic intermediates and reduce the acute toxicity produced by ozonation. Humic acid substances were largely removed and transformed into biodegradable intermediates. This study proposes a new and efficient ozonation catalyst for practical applications in advanced wastewater treatment.

Organic Degradation Potential of Real Greywater Using TiO2-Based Advanced Oxidation Processes

In keeping with the circular economy approach, reclaiming greywater (GW) is considered a sustainable approach to local reuse of wastewater and a viable option to reduce household demand for freshwater. This study investigated the mineralization of total organic carbon (TOC) in GW using TiO2-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in a custom-built stirred tank reactor. The combinations of H2O2, O3, and immobilized TiO2 under either dark or UVA irradiation conditions were systematically evaluated—namely TiO2/dark, O3/dark (ozonation), H2O2/dark (peroxidation), TiO2/UVA (photocatalysis), O3/UVA (Ozone photolysis), H2O2/UVA (photo-peroxidation), O3/TiO2/dark (catalytic ozonation), O3/TiO2/UVA (photocatalytic ozonation), H2O2/TiO2/dark, H2O2/TiO2/UVA, H2O2/O3/dark (peroxonation), H2O2/O3/UVA (photo-peroxonation), H2O2/O3/TiO2/dark (catalytic peroxonation), and H2O2/O3/TiO2/UVA (photocatalytic peroxonation). It was found that combining different treatment methods with UVA irradiation dramatically enhanced the organic mineralization efficiency. The optimum TiO2 loading in this study was observed to be 0.96 mg/cm2 with the highest TOC removal (54%) achieved using photocatalytic peroxonation under optimal conditions (0.96 mg TiO2/cm2, 25 mg O3/min, and 0.7 H2O2/O3 molar ratio). In peroxonation and photo-peroxonation, the optimal H2O2/O3 molar ratio was identified to be a critical efficiency parameter maximizing the production of reactive radical species. Increasing ozone flow rate or H2O2 dosage was observed to cause an efficiency inhibition effect. This lab-based study demonstrates the potential for combined TiO2-AOP treatments to significantly reduce the organic fraction of real GW, offering potential for the development of low-cost systems permitting safe GW reuse.

Synthesis and characterization of Ag-loaded p-type TiO2 for adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A

A p-type TiO₂ with Ti vacancies (D-TiO₂ ) was synthesized by a facile solvothermal treatment, and Ag/TiO₂ with different Ag loading amount was prepared through a photo-reduction deposition method. The samples were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorption and photocatalytic characteristics of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) on D-TiO₂ and Ag/TiO₂ were investigated. The adsorption of TBBPA on Ag/TiO₂ was significantly enhanced and was five times greater than that of pure TiO₂ . The increase in pH significantly inhibited the adsorption of TBBPA. The 2%-Ag/TiO₂ nearly completely degraded TBBPA in 10 min under UV-Vis light (λ > 360 nm), and the apparent reaction rate constant (k_app ) reached 0.63 min^-1 . The significantly enhanced UV-Vis light catalytic properties of the Ag/TiO₂ in comparison with that of TiO₂ were attributed to the increased adsorption capacity and electron transfer ability of the Ag/TiO₂ . Free radical trap experiments results showed that holes and superoxide radicals play a major role in the catalytic degradation of TBBPA by Ag/TiO₂ . Moreover, the Ag/TiO₂ catalyst exhibits high stability during TBBPA degradation even after three cycles. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Ti-defected TiO₂ and Ag/TiO₂ were synthesized using a solvothermal and photo-reduction deposition, respectively. Ag/TiO₂ exhibited outstanding adsorption and photocatalytic activity for TBBPA removal under UV-Vis light. Holes and superoxide radicals play a major role in the photocatalytic degradation of TBBPA.

Applicability of advanced oxidation processes in removing anthropogenically influenced chlorination disinfection byproduct precursors in a developing country

The studies on occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water treatment plants or even wastewater treatment plants in developing country like India, are very limited. Trihalomethanes (THMs) is one such contaminant of concern in drinking water treatment sector. THMs are the major disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed during the widely used chlorination process. Their identification and removal is of utmost importance in developed as well as developing nations. This study is first of its kind to assess the removal of mixture of urban run-off driven organic matter, agricultural run-off driven organic matter, untreated sewage effluent driven organic matter and little natural organic matter (NOM) (altogether NefOM) (major DBP precursors) using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in the Indian region. Since, NOM vary geographically, this study will add up to applicability of generally utilized AOPs for removal of site explicit (Indian) NefOM. Trihalomethanes at a conventional water treatment plant at Mathura and a moving bed biofilm based non-conventional water treatment plant at Agra were monitored over a year, demonstrating the inability of the water treatment plants to limit formation of DBPs from Yamuna inlet water at any time of the year. Various AOPs (UV-H₂O₂, O₃-H₂O₂, O₃) and UV (ultraviolet) photolysis were assessed for their ability to decrease the trihalomethane forming potential (THMFP) by degrading the contaminants in the waters of Yamuna. Kinetic studies were conducted to evaluate the selected AOPs based on their ability to mineralize dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and decrease UV₂₅₄ at various pH, UV intensities, and ozone and hydrogen peroxide concentrations. UV-L/H₂O₂ at an intensity of 47 mJ/cm²/min, pH = 7, and at hydrogen peroxide concentration of 0.5 mM provided an optimum reduction of DOC (64%) and UV₂₅₄ (87%). Fractionation studies indicated that treatment by UV-L/H₂O₂ leads to the most significant decrease in the hydrophobic fraction of the water, while further study indicated that UV-L/H₂O₂ also showed maximum attenuation of THMFP.

Catalytic ozonation of emerging pollutant and reduction of toxic by-products in secondary effluent matrix and effluent organic matter reaction activity

In this study, the performance of LaCoO₃ (LCO) catalytic ozonation was evaluated comprehensively, including the degradation efficiency of benzotriazole (BZA) as a typical emerging pollutant, toxic bromate reduction and the disinfection by-products (DBPs) precursors removal ability in effluent organic matter (EfOM), as well as EfOM reactive activity in catalytic ozonation. Additionally, the reduction of toxic halogenated by-products in (catalytic) ozonation was reported, which was not focused on previous researches before. Results showed that LCO catalytic ozonation improved the removal efficiency of BZA, UV₂₅₄ and SUVA via enhanced HO· formation. Interestingly, LCO catalytic ozonation showed the ability on the reduction of aldehydes and toxic halogenated organic by-products. Moreover, the formed [trichloromethane (TCM)], [bromochloroacetonitrile (BCAN)] and [dichloroacetamide (DCAcAm)] decreased significantly in catalytic ozonation. Catalytic ozonation was also able to remove DBPs precursors to decline the formation of DBPs, such as TCM, bromodichloromethane (BDCM), trichloroacetonitrile (TCAN) and trichloronitromethane (TCNM). This process was involved in the transformation of EfOM in catalytic ozonation, which was confirmed by multi-spectrum methods, two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) and hetero-spectral 2D-COS. In summary, LCO was shown to be an effective catalyst to improve the performance of the sole ozonation on the removal of emerging contaminants and DBPs precursors, as well as toxic by-products reduction. Additionally, the strategy of toxic by-products reduction in catalytic ozonation was proposed. Results indicated this technology was an important contribution on removal of refractory organics and formation of toxic by-products in water supply and wastewater treatment industry.

Advances in Treatment of Brominated Hydrocarbons by Heterogeneous Catalytic Ozonation and Bromate Minimization

The formation of carcinogenic bromate ions is a constraint when ozone is used for the remediation of water containing brominated organic materials. With its strong oxidizing ability, ozone rapidly transforms bromide in aqueous media to bromate, through a series of reactions involving hydroxyl radicals. Several strategies, such as limiting the ozone concentration, maintaining pH < 6, or the use of ammonia or hydrogen peroxide were explored to minimize bromate generation. However, most of the above strategies had a negative effect on the ozonation efficiency. The advanced oxidation processes, using catalysts together with ozone, have proven to be a promising technology for the degradation of pollutants in wastewater, but very few studies have been conducted to find ways to minimize bromate formation during this approach. The proposed article, therefore, presents a comprehensive review on recent advances in bromate reduction in water by catalytic ozonation and proposes reaction mechanisms associated with the catalytic process. The main aim is to highlight any gaps in the reported studies, thus creating a platform for future research and a quest to find environment friendly and efficacious catalysts for minimizing bromate formation in aqueous media during ozonation of brominated organic compounds.

Implementation of UV-based advanced oxidation processes in algal medium recycling

Algae show great potential as sustainable feedstock for numerous bioproducts. However, large volume of water consumption during algal biomass production makes that the culture media recycling is a necessity due to economic and environmental concern. To avoid the negative effect of enriched organic matters in the harvested culture media, pre-treatment prior to medium replenishment and reuse is required. In this study, degradation of algenitic organic matters (AOM) in the culture media by UV-based photolysis processes (i.e., direct UV, UV/peroxydisulfate (PDS), UV/H₂O₂, and UV/NH₂Cl) was explored. The results showed that UV, UV/PDS, UV/H₂O₂ and UV/NH₂Cl caused a decrease of SUVA for 29.9%, 35.4%, 40.45%, and 22.6%, respectively, though the organic matter was almost not mineralized. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix combined with parallel factor analysis indicated that UV/PDS and UV/H₂O₂ degraded 47.26%-56.31% of the fulvic-like and humic-like fractions in AOM. Powder activated carbon absorption and growth evaluation for the AOPs-treated media indicated that UV/PDS and UV/H₂O₂ processes not only could remove the growth inhibitors in the media, but were also beneficial to the algae growth. These results suggested that UV/PDS and UV/H₂O₂ could effectively degrade the hydrophobic components in AOM and converted the growth inhibition fraction of AOM in the recycled media into nutrient source for algal growth. Different from the general application of UV-based AOP in the wastewater treatment, this study provided an innovative idea about how to pre-treat AOM in the media recycling: utilization rather than removal, which was a more sustainable and environment-friendly technology.

Advanced oxidation processes for the removal of natural organic matter from drinking water sources: A comprehensive review

Natural organic matter (NOM), a key component in aquatic environments, is a complex matrix of organic substances characterized by its fluctuating amounts in water and variable molecular and chemical properties, leading to various interaction schemes with the biogeosphere and hydrologic cycle. These factors, along with the increasing amounts of NOM in surface and ground waters, make the effort of removing naturally-occurring organics from drinking water supplies, and also from municipal wastewater effluents, a challenging task requiring the development of highly efficient and versatile water treatment technologies. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) received an increasing amount of attention from researchers around the world, especially during the last decade. The related processes were frequently reported to be among the most suitable water treatment technologies to remove NOM from drinking water supplies and mitigate the formation of disinfection by products (DBPs). Thus, the present work overviews recent research and development studies conducted on the application of AOPs to degrade NOM including UV and/or ozone-based applications, different Fenton processes and various heterogeneous catalytic and photocatalytic oxidative processes. Other non-conventional AOPs such as ultrasonication, ionizing radiation and plasma technologies were also reported. Furthermore, since AOPs are unlikely to achieve complete oxidation of NOM, integration schemes with other water treatment technologies were presented including membrane filtration, adsorption and others processes.

Efficiencies and mechanisms of ZSM5 zeolites loaded with cerium, iron, or manganese oxides for catalytic ozonation of nitrobenzene in water

Discharge of industrial wastewater causes water pollution. It is therefore necessary to treat wastewater prior to discharge. Catalytic ozonation processes (COP) using ZSM5 zeolites loaded with metallic (Ce, Fe, or Mn) oxides to remove nitrobenzene from water were investigated. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal by the COP treatment with NaZSM5-38, HZSM5-38, and NaZSM5-100 were increased by 6.7%, 23.1%, and 19.8%, respectively, in comparison with single ozonation efficiency (39.2%). The loadings of Ce, Fe, or Mn oxides increased the catalytic activity relative to ZSM5 zeolites alone. The Ce loaded material (Ce/NaZSM5-38) had the highest TOC removal (86.3%). The different-metallic-oxides loaded zeolites exhibited different chemical processes during the removal of nitrobenzene from water. During COP treatment, NaZSM5-38 zeolites removed nitrobenzene mainly via OH mediated oxidation. HZSM5-38 and NaZSM5-100 zeolites showed powerful adsorption toward nitrobenzene. Both adsorption and direct ozonation contribute the TOC removal in their early uses. The OH mediated oxidation dominates the TOC removal process as the adsorption became saturated after multiple uses. Surface SiO bonds and/or SiO(H)Al structures are the active sites for ZSM5 zeolites. Efficient surface dispersion of the metallic oxides enhances the catalytic activity. This study shows the high potentials of ZSM5 zeolites as catalysts in COP to efficiently treat refractory wastewaters.

A comparative study of ozonation, iron coated zeolite catalyzed ozonation and granular activated carbon catalyzed ozonation of humic acid

This study compares ozonation (O₃), iron coated zeolite catalyzed ozonation (ICZ-O₃) and granular activated carbon catalyzed ozonation (GAC-O₃) for removal of humic acid from an aqueous solution. The results were evaluated by the removal of DOC that specifies organic matter, UV₂₅₄ absorbance, SUVA (Specific Ultraviolet Absorbance at 254 nm) and absorbance at 436 nm. When ozonation was used alone, DOC removal was 21.4% at an ozone concentration of 10 mg/L, pH 6.50 and oxidation time of 60 min. The results showed that the use of ICZ or GAC as a catalyst increased the decomposition of humic acid compared to ozonation alone. DOC removal efficiencies were 62% and 48.1% at pH 6.5, at a catalyst loading of 0.75 g/L, and oxidation time of 60 min for ICZ and GAC, respectively. The oxidation experiments were also carried out using <100 kDa and <50 kDa molecular size fractions of humic acid in the presence of ICZ or GAC. Catalytic ozonation also yielded better DOC and UV₂₅₄ reduction in both <50 kDa and <100 kDa fractions of HA compared to ozonation.

Ozonation in water treatment: the generation, basic properties of ozone and its practical application

The widespread applications of ozone technologies are established on the basis of large-scale manufacture of ozone generator and chemical reactivity of ozone. It is hence necessary to summarize the principles of ozone generation and to analyze the physicochemical properties of ozone, which are of fundamental significance to indicate its technical developments and practical applications. This review presents a summary concerning ozone generation mechanisms, the physicochemical properties of ozone, as well as the applications of ozone in water treatment. Ozone can be produced by phosphorus contact, silent discharge, photochemical reactions, and electrochemical reactions, principally proceeding by the reaction of oxygen atom with oxygen molecule. There are side reactions to the generation of ozone, however, which are responsible for ozone depletion including thermal decomposition and quenching reactions by reactive species. The solubility of ozone in water is much higher than that of oxygen, suggesting that it may be reliably applied in water and wastewater treatment. Based on the resonance structures of ozone, one oxygen atom in ozone molecule is electron-deficient displaying electrophilic property, whereas one oxygen atom is electron-rich holding nucleophilic property. The superior chemical reactivity of ozone can also be indirectly revealed by radical-mediated reactions initiated from homogenous and heterogeneous catalytic decomposition of ozone. Owing to the reliable generation of ozone and its robust reactive properties, it is worthy to thoroughly elaborate the applications of ozone reaction in drinking water disinfection and pre- or post-treatment of industrial wastewater including cyanide wastewater, coking wastewater, dyeing wastewater, and municipal wastewater. The structural characteristics of ozone reactors and energy requirement of applied technologies are evaluated. In addition, future directions concerning the development of ozone generation, ozone reactivity, and industrial wastewater ozonation have been proposed.

Application of heterogeneous catalytic ozonation as a tertiary treatment of effluent of biologically treated tannery wastewater

The present study employed a Mn-Cu/Al2O3 heterogeneous catalytic ozonation process for tertiary treatment of actual tannery wastewater, focusing on its feasibility in that application. The primary factors affecting the removal efficiency of organic pollutants were investigated, including catalyst dosage, ozone dosage, and initial pH value. The experimental results showed that the addition of a Mn-Cu/Al2O3 catalyst improved the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) during ozonation, which initiated a 29.3% increase for COD removal, compared to ozonation alone after 60 min. The optimum pH, catalyst dosage, and ozone dosage were determined to be 7.0, 2.0 g/L, and 0.3 g/h, respectively. Under these conditions, following 60 min of reaction, the COD removal efficiency and the concentration in effluent were 88%, and 17 mg/L, respectively. In addition, the presence of tert-butanol (a well known hydroxyl radical scavenger) strongly inhibited COD removal via Mn-Cu/Al2O3 catalytic ozonation, indicating that the Mn-Cu/Al2O3 catalytic ozonation process follows a hydroxyl radical (OH·) reaction mechanism. The Mn-Cu/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited good stability and reusability. Finally, the kinetic analysis revealed that the apparent reaction rate constant of COD removal with the Mn-Cu/Al2O3 catalytic ozonation system (0.0328 min(-1)) was 2.3 times that of an ozonation system alone (0.0141 min(-1)). These results demonstrated that the catalytic ozonation using Mn-Cu/Al2O3 is an effective and promising process for tertiary treatment of tannery effluent in biological systems.

Spectroscopic, single crystal XRD structure, DFT and molecular dynamics investigation of 1-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-3-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]thiourea

The title compound 1-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-3-[3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]thiourea (ANF-2) was synthesized and structurally characterized by single crystal XRD.

Oxidation of natural organic matter with processes involving O3, H2O2and UV light: formation of oxidation and disinfection by-products

This study investigates the effects of UV photolysis, ozonation and different advanced oxidation processes (O₃/UV, H₂O₂/UV and O₃/H₂O₂/UV) on the oxidation of groundwater natural organic matter (NOM) and by-product formation.

Towards reducing DBP formation potential of drinking water by favouring direct ozone over hydroxyl radical reactions during ozonation

When ozonation is employed in advanced water treatment plants to produce drinking water, dissolved organic matter reacts with ozone (O3) and/or hydroxyl radicals (OH) affecting disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation with subsequently used chlorine-based disinfectants. This study presents the effects of varying exposures of O3 and •OH on DBP concentrations and their associated toxicity generated after subsequent chlorination. DBP formation potential tests and in vitro bioassays were conducted after batch ozonation experiments of coagulated surface water with and without addition of tertiary butanol (t-BuOH, 10 mM) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 1 mg/mg O3), and at different pH (6-8) and transferred ozone doses (0-1 mg/mg TOC). Although ozonation led to a 24-37% decrease in formation of total trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles, and trihaloacetamides, an increase in formation of total trihalonitromethanes, chloral hydrate, and haloketones was observed. This effect however was less pronounced for samples ozonated at conditions favoring molecular ozone (e.g., pH 6 and in the presence of t-BuOH) over •OH reactions (e.g., pH 8 and in the presence of H2O2). Compared to ozonation only, addition of H2O2 consistently enhanced formation of all DBP groups (20-61%) except trihalonitromethanes. This proves that •OH-transformed organic matter is more susceptible to halogen incorporation. Analogously, adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) concentrations increased under conditions that favor •OH reactions. The ratio of unknown to known AOX, however, was greater at conditions that promote direct O3 reactions. Although significant correlation was found between AOX and genotoxicity with the p53 bioassay, toxicity tests using 4 in vitro bioassays showed relatively low absolute differences between various ozonation conditions.

Experimental study of humic acid degradation and theoretical modelling of catalytic ozonation

The efficiency of TiO2 as a catalyst in the ozonation of humic acid (HA) was evaluated in a comprehensive manner. Ozonation, catalytic ozonation and adsorption experiments were conducted using both synthetic HA solution and natural water. HA degradation was evaluated in terms of DOC, VIS400 and UV254. It was shown that the addition of catalyst positively affects the mechanism of ozonation. An increase in HA degradation was observed for all these parameters. The impact of catalyst dose and initial pH value of HA on the efficacy of catalytic ozonation was investigated. The highest removal efficiencies were achieved with the dose of 1 g l(-1) of TiO2 (Degussa P-25) and in the acidic pH region. The catalytic ozonation process was efficient also on natural water component although not at the same level as it was on synthetic water. The adsorptive feature of P-25 was considered to have a clear evidence of the catalytic ozonation mechanism. The mechanism of catalysis on the surface of metal oxides was elucidated with the help of quantum-chemical calculations. In the framework of Density Function Theory (DFT), the O3 decomposition was calculated in the catalytic and non-catalytic processes. Donor-acceptor properties of the frontier (highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, HOMO/LUMO) orbitals are discussed. Electron density distribution and reaction mechanism of superoxide particles formation, which participate in the process of HA ozonation are analyzed.

Removal of disinfection by-products from contaminated water using a synthetic goethite catalyst via catalytic ozonation and a biofiltration system

The effects of synthetic goethite (α-FeOOH) used as the catalyst in catalytic ozonation for the degradation of disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors are investigated. A biofiltration column applied following the catalytic ozonation process is used to evaluate the efficiency of removing DBP precursors via biotreatment. Ozone can rapidly react with aromatic compounds and oxidize organic compounds, resulting in a decrease in the fluorescence intensity of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In addition, catalytic ozonation can break down large organic molecules, which causes a blue shift in the emission-excitation matrix spectra. Water treated with catalytic ozonation is composed of low-molecular structures, including soluble microbial products (SMPs) and other aromatic proteins (APs). The DOM in SMPs and APs is removed by subsequent biofiltration. Catalytic ozonation has a higher removal efficiency for dissolved organic carbon and higher ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm compared to those of ozonation without a catalyst. The use of catalytic ozonation and subsequent biofiltration leads to a lower DBP formation potential during chlorination compared to that obtained using ozonation and catalytic ozonation alone. Regarding DBP species during chlorination, the bromine incorporation factor (BIF) of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids increases with increasing catalyst dosage in catalytic ozonation. Moreover, the highest BIF is obtained for catalytic ozonation and subsequent biofiltration.

Characterization of natural organic matter in conventional water treatment processes and evaluation of THM formation with chlorine

This study investigates the fractions of natural organic matter (NOM) and trihalomethane (THM) formation after chlorination in samples of raw water and the outputs from ozonation, coagulation-flocculation, and conventional filtration treatment units. All the water samples are passed through various ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. UF membranes with different molecular size ranges based on apparent molecular weight (AMW), such as 1000, 3000, 10,000, and 30,000 Daltons (Da), are commonly used. The NOM fraction with AMW<1000 Da (1 K) is the dominant fraction within all the fractionated water samples. Its maximum percentage is 85.86% after the filtration process and the minimum percentage is 65.01% in raw water samples. The total THM (TTHM) yield coefficients range from 22.5 to 42  μg-TTHM/mg-DOC in all fractionated samples, which is related to their specific ultraviolet Absorbance (SUVA) levels. As the molecular weight of the fractions decreased, the TTHM yield coefficients increased. The NOM fractions with AMW values less than 1 K had lower SUVA values (<3 L/mg·m) for all treatment stages and also they had higher yield of TTHM per unit of DOC. The NOM fraction with AMW<1 K for chlorinated raw water samples has the highest yield coefficient (42  μg-TTHM/mg-DOC).

Fate and transport of fragrance materials in principal environmental sinks

Fragrance materials are widely present in the environment, such as air, water, and soil. Concerns have been raised due to the increasing utilization and suspected impact on human health. The bioaccumulating property is considered as one of the causes of the toxicity to human beings. The removal of fragrance materials from environmental sinks has not been paid enough attention due to the lack of regulation and research on their toxicity. This paper provides systematic information on how fragrance materials are transferred to the environment, how do they affect human lives, and what is their fate in water, wastewater, wastewater sludge, and soil.

Toxicity and genotoxicity of hospital laundry wastewaters treated with photocatalytic ozonation

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficiency of advanced oxidative processes based on photocatalytic ozonation (O(3), UV, UV/O(3), UV/O(3)/Fe(2+) 50 mg L(-1) and 150 mg L(-1)) in the treatment of hospital laundry wastewaters. The analysis of the investigated wastewater revealed high chemical oxygen demand (COD - 3343.8 mg L(-1)), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD(5) - 1906.4 mg L(-1)), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN - 79.8 mg L(-1)) and Daphnia magna toxicity (EC50=1.73). Genotoxic effects were also detected for Allium cepa. Reductions of some parameters occurred after photocatalytic ozonation. The UV/O(3)/Fe(2+) 150 mg L(-1) method was more efficient in reducing COD (59.1%), BOD(5) (50.3%) and TKN (86.8%). There was significant reduction (p<0.05) in D. magna toxicity, O(3) (EC50=47.3%), UV (EC50=50.6%) and UV/O(3)/Fe(2+) 150 mg L(-1) (EC50=45.4%) processes. Normalization of the mitotic index and reduction of micronucleated cells were observed in A. cepa after the treatments. Results demonstrate that these methods were efficient in the degradation of hospital laundry wastewaters, representing a thriving alternative for the removal of pollutants that cause toxicity and genotoxicity.

Removal of natural organic matter and arsenic from water by electrocoagulation/flotation continuous flow reactor

The performance of the laboratory scale electrocoagulation/flotation (ECF) reactor in removing high concentrations of natural organic matter (NOM) and arsenic from groundwater was analyzed in this study. An ECF reactor with bipolar plate aluminum electrodes was operated in the horizontal continuous flow mode. Electrochemical and flow variables were optimized to examine ECF reactor contaminants removal efficiency. The optimum conditions for the process were identified as groundwater initial pH 5, flow rate=4.3 l/h, inter electrode distance=2.8 cm, current density=5.78 mA/cm(2), A/V ratio=0.248 cm(-1). The NOM removal according to UV(254) absorbance and dissolved organic matter (DOC) reached highest values of 77% and 71% respectively, relative to the raw groundwater. Arsenic removal was 85% (6.2 μg As/l) relative to raw groundwater, satisfying the drinking water standards. The specific reactor electrical energy consumption was 17.5 kWh/kg Al. The specific aluminum electrode consumption was 66 g Al/m(3). According to the obtained results, ECF in horizontal continuous flow mode is an energy efficient process to remove NOM and arsenic from groundwater.