Abstract
Algal organic matter (AOM) in water reservoirs is a worldwide concern for drinking water treatment, once it is one of the main precursors for disinfection by-product formation. Oxidative processes have been widely applied in drinking water treatment to improve microalgae removal; however, there is little information about their performance for AOM degradation. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), Fenton (H2O2/Fe(II)), and photo-Fenton (H2O2/Fe(II)/UV) processes for AOM removal. Low AOM removals (0.46 to 12.02%) were found using H2O2. The highest AOM removals for H2O2/Fe(II) (29.8%) and H2O2/Fe(II)/UV (67.0%) were obtained using 40 and 30 mg Fe∙L−1 at 150 min, respectively. In general, high pH values decreased AOM removals for H2O2/Fe(II) and H2O2/Fe(II)/UV processes and increased them for H2O2 application. All oxidative processes had stabilized at 150 min, and further reaction time did not significantly increase the AOM removal. Trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) was evaluated using the optimal conditions of each process. Reductions of THMFP were 42.0, 74.0, and 83.4% for H2O2, H2O2/Fe(II), and H2O2/Fe(II)/UV, respectively. This study showed the potential of oxidative processes to complement AOM removal by the traditional technologies applied in water treatment. Further studies are required to optimize the parameters involved in the process to improve the cost-effectiveness of the processes and applicability in water treatment.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP – Proc. 2019/05759–1) granted Luan de Souza Leite with a PhD scholarship. The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES-PROEX – Financial code 001) granted Kamila Jessie Sammarro Silva with a PhD scholarship.
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Luan de Souza Leite: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Kamila Jessie Sammaro Silva: conceptualization, investigation, formal, writing—review and editing. Danilo Vitorino dos Santos: investigation, formal analysis, writing—review and editing. Lyda Patricia Sabogal-Paz: supervision and writing—review and editing. Luiz Antonio Daniel: supervision, conceptualization, writing—review and editing.
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Highlights
• Oxidative processes were tested for AOM degradation.
• Highest removal was 29.8 and 67.0% for H2O2/Fe(II) and H2O2/Fe(II)/UV, respectively.
• High pH values decreased the AOM removal for Fenton and photo-Fenton processes.
• H2O2 decay was efficiently fitted in zero model order (R2 > 0.95).
• Significant THMFP reduction was found at optimal conditions (42.0 to 83.4%).
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Leite, L.d.S., Silva, K.J.S., dos Santos, D.V. et al. Algal Organic Matter Degradation by Chemical and Photo-Chemical Processes: a Comparative Study. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 457 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05921-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05921-1