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Evaluation of Disinfection Byproducts Formed from the Chlorination of Lyophilized and Reconstituted NOM Concentrate from a Drinking Water Source - Poster
Citation:
McCurry, D., S. Parvez, T. F. SPETH, G. E. RICE, L. K. TEUSCHLER, AND J. G. PRESSMAN. Evaluation of Disinfection Byproducts Formed from the Chlorination of Lyophilized and Reconstituted NOM Concentrate from a Drinking Water Source - Poster. Presented at 4th IWA Specialty Conference on Natural Organic Matter: From Source to Tap and Beyond, Costa Mesa, CA, July 27 - 29, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Drinking water treatment and disinfection byproduct (DBP) research can be complicated by difficulties in shipping large water quantities and NOM geographical and temporal variability. Access to a drinking water representative, shelf-stable, concentrated NOM source would solve these issues. NOM concentration and preservation by lyophilization (freeze-drying) has been practiced for many years; however, its applicability for drinking water DBP research has been limited because the selected NOM sources are not necessarily representative of drinking water sources. The purpose of this research was to evaluate whether reconstituted NOM from a lyophilized reverse-osmosis (RO) concentrate of a drinking water source closely represented the original NOM with respect to DBP formation. The method of comparison was parallel chlorination of the source water, a 165x RO concentrate, and reconstituted lyophilized NOM under identical conditions. After chlorination, the concentrations of 21 commonly measured DBPs (i.e., THMs, HAAs) were measured in each sample. Statistical comparisons between DBP concentrations were made using the Tukey Multiple Comparison Test to determine whether significant differences existed. In lyophilized NOM reconstituted back to source water TOC levels and chlorinated, the concentration of 17 of 19 detected DBPs, constituting 96% of the total identified DBP mass, were statistically indistinguishable from those in the chlorinated source water. This study strongly suggests that lyophilization can be used to preserve concentrated NOM without substantially altering the precursors to DBP formation. (The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. EPA.)