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The impact of permanganate pre-oxidation on subsequent drinking water treatment operations

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Abstract

The efficient removal of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from drinking water is important to protect public health. However, the changes to DOM during drinking water treatments are poorly understood on a molecular level. Here, we investigated the changes induced by permanganate oxidation, alum coagulation, and activated carbon sorption for three DOM isolates, one derived from terrestrial materials, Suwanee River fulvic acid (SRFA), and two derived from microbial inputs, Grand Lake St. Mary’s (GLSM) DOM, and Jackson Pike wastewater effluent DOM (EfOM). These treatments were investigated individually, and in realistic treatment sequences, using conventional bulk characterization techniques and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. We found that permanganate pre-oxidation improved DOM removal by subsequent alum coagulation through the oxidation of aromatic components and the formation of tannin-like components. This effect was most prominent for SRFA and was less pronounced for the microbial DOM isolates. The impact of permanganate pre-oxidation had little to no effect on subsequent activated carbon treatment following coagulation. Removal of SRFA was impacted by the application order of alum coagulation and activated carbon sorption with coagulation followed by activated carbon sorption leading to the greatest organic matter removal efficiency. The favorable efficacy of this treatment series is likely caused by the removal of high molecular weight organic matter components by coagulation that would otherwise block sorption to activated carbon sites. Treatment application order impacted the removal of GLSM DOM and EfOM to a lesser extent, resulting in similar overall organic matter removal efficiencies that could be treated as additive for coagulation and activated carbon sorption. These observations, overall, suggest that permanganate pre-oxidation is most effective for improving DOM removal when aromatic terrestrial inputs are present, and pretreatments, including permanganate oxidation and activated carbon sorption, may be most effective when microbial inputs are present due to the absence of aromatic chemical species.

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Data availability

The FT-ICR-MS and UV–Vis spectroscopy datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Bulk parameter datasets are available in the Supporting Information file.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported through a Presidential Fellowship awarded by The Ohio State University Graduate School and a grant from the Ohio Water Development Authority. We thank the Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics CCIC at The Ohio State University for allowing us to use the Bruker SolariX ICR-MS. The 15 T Bruker SolariXR FT-ICR instrument was supported by NIH Award Number Grant S10 OD018507. The project was supported by NIH Award Number Grant P30 CA016058. We are especially thankful for the support and guidance of Dr. Arpad Somogyi, the director of the MS CCIC. We also thank the Jackson Pike Wastewater treatment plant staff who assisted us with sampling water from their treatment plant. We would also like to acknowledge the input of treatment plant operators in Ohio, particularly, Todd Hone formerly at the Celina drinking water treatment plant for helping us to understand the impact of algal blooms on drinking water treatment plants.

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  1. Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Juliana R. Laszakovits & Allison A. MacKay

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Correspondence to Juliana R. Laszakovits.

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Laszakovits, J.R., MacKay, A.A. The impact of permanganate pre-oxidation on subsequent drinking water treatment operations. Aquat Sci 85, 33 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00916-w

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