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A one-year-long monitoring project was conducted to assay the concentrations of THMs, HAAs and their formation potential along the conventional process in a water treatment plant in North China. Subsequent investigations of organic matter fractionation and the contribution of the algae to the precursor were also conducted to trace the source of the DBPs. The results showed that the concentration of DBPs and their formation potential varied with the seasons. The highest concentrations of THMs and the highest HAAs formation potential, each almost 500 µg/L, were detected in autumn and the lowest were in spring, no more than 100 µg/L. Both organic matter and algae were found to be important DBP precursors. The hydrophobic acid fraction in dissolved organic matter has the highest formation potential for both THM and HAA. Algae contribute about 20% to 50% of the total formation potential during an algal bloom. The efficiency of each unit process for DBPs and precursors was also assayed. Unfortunately, the conventional drinking water treatment process is limited in its efficiency for precursor removal. The pre-chlorination and filtration process had a negative effect on DBP or precursor removal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Organic matter in source water has presented many challenges in the field of water purification, especially for conventional treatment. A two-year-long pilot test comparing water treatment processes was conducted to enhance organic matter removal. The tested process combinations included the conventional process, conventional plus advanced treatment, pre-oxidation plus conventional process and pre-oxidation plus conventional plus advanced treatment. The efficiency of each kind of process was assayed with the comprehensive indices of CODMn, TOC, UV254, AOC, BDOC, THMs, and HAAs and their formation potential. The results showed that the combination of the conventional process and O3-BAC provides integrated removal of organic matter and meets the required standards. It is the best performing treatment tested in this investigation for treating polluted source water in China. Moreover, much attention should be paid to organic removal before disinfection to control DBP formation and preserve biostability. This paper also reports the range of efficiency of each unit process to calculate the total efficiency of different process combinations in order to help choose the appropriate water treatment process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, ultraviolet (UV)-activated persulfate under alkaline condition was developed as an alternative Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) assay to convert per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) precursors into detectable perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). The conventional heat-based TOP assay takes 6 h at 85 °C, which is time consuming and may lose the volatile PFASs. Shorter time treatment would be beneficial to promote the analysis efficiency of the samples. We here report the UV-based TOP method as faster replacement of conventional heat-based TOP assay. The 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (FTS), 8:2 FTS, and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA) achieved nearly complete conversion (with the molar yield of PFAAs of 97.2%–109.9%) at 60 min. This new UV-based TOP assay was then applied to 23 industry samples, and the results are comparable with the heat-based TOP assay. The perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) concentrations of 23 samples before and after normal TOP assay were 0–4290 mg L−1 and 438–77,420 mg L−1, respectively. The PFCAs after 60 min UV-based TOP assay was 310–81,881 mg L−1. The Quotient Mol of 21 samples were 0.71–1.28, the Quotient Mol of other two samples were 1.45 and 1.68, this probably due to the loss of volatile precursors during heat-based TOP assay. The UV-based TOP assay is an efficient, reliable and faster alternative to the conventional heat-based TOP assay. Unlabelled Image • A modified TOP assay was developed based on UV-activated persulfate oxidation. • Typical precursors are completely converted by oxidation within 1 h. • The results from UV-based TOP assay are comparable to original method. • Applicability validated for AFFF surfactants and affected water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brominated haloacetic acids (HAAs) are much more cytotoxic and genotoxic than chlorinated one, yet little information is available for their organic precursors. In the present study, 8 water samples were collected in East China: 2 from lakes, 2 from rivers, 2 from reservoirs, a well and a mountain spring. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV absorbance at 254 (UVA), specific UVA (SUVA) and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) were determined in raw water samples; formation of 9 HAA species as well as bromine substitution factor (BSF) were measured in chlorinated water samples. Results showed that water samples located in city generally contained higher levels of DOC (6.4–12.2 mg/L) and UVA (0.124–0.194/cm), while those in the country side, low DOC (2.4–5.9 mg/L) and UVA (0.061–0.109/cm) levels were observed. Negative relationship (p < 0.01) was found between SUVA values and Chl-a levels. Among 9 HAA species, 4 brominated HAA were detected. As for BAA and DBAA (i.e. Br-HAAs), their yields (μg/L) were significant related (p < 0.05) with DOC; In terms of BCAA and BDCAA (i.e. ClBr-HAAs), they were not only related with DOC, but also with UVA. These two results were quite different from DCAA and TCAA (Cl-HAAs), whose yields (μg/mg C) were only correlated with SUVA values, suggesting that precursors of Cl-HAA, Br-HAA and ClBr-HAA were different from each other, and their aromaticity/hydrophobicity may be in the order of Br-HAA < ClBr-HAA < Cl-HAA. Interrelationship between Br/DOC, SUVA and BSF revealed that BSF can be influenced by SUVA and Br/DOC, but in comparison, Br/UVA was the best indicator to describe BSF. This pattern is not only true in di-HAAs and tri-HAAs in this study, but also valid in other water samples and other species of disinfection by-product (e.g. trihalomethanes, dihaloacetonitriles, trihalonitromethanes). Unlabelled Image • Water samples from city contained higher OM levels than those from country side. • SUVA of water was negatively related with Chl-a level. • Hydrophobicity of precursor was ranked as Br-HAAs