Abstract
Purpose
Dechlorination with tetravalent sulfur is widely used in wastewater treatment processes after chlorination. Dechlorination can remove certain genotoxic disinfection by-products (DBPs). However, the reactions occurring during dechlorination of chlorinated secondary effluent and their genotoxic chemicals are still very complex, and the related genotoxicity changes remain unknown. Therefore, the effects of dechlorination on genotoxicity in secondary effluent and its fractions and typical genotoxic chemical after chlorination were evaluated.
Methods
The dissolved organic matter in the secondary effluent sample was separated into four fractions with XAD-8 resin. Genotoxicity of secondary effluent and its fractions was evaluated by SOS/umu test, an ISO standard method. The concentration of typical genotoxic chemical named ofloxacin was determined by liquid chromatography with a mass spectrometer and a fluorescence detector.
Results
Dechlorination with the addition of Na2SO3 notably decreased the genotoxicity in the chlorinated secondary effluent, especially in the presence of high ammonia nitrogen concentration in the sample before chlorination. The Na2SO3 addition significantly decreased the genotoxicity of the secondary effluent and its genotoxic ofloxacin prior to chlorination. The genotoxicity in the fractions containing hydrophobic acids (HOA) increased after chlorination, while addition of Na2SO3 decreased the genotoxicity induced by chlorination. Tryptophan found in HOA exhibited genotoxicity after chlorination, while dechlorination decreased the genotoxicity in chlorinated tryptophan induced by DBPs.
Conclusions
Dechlorination was found to decrease the genotoxicity of chlorinated secondary effluent. The decrease was associated with the reduction of genotoxicity in genotoxic chemicals in secondary effluent prior to chlorination and DBPs.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (No. 50825801) and National High-tech R&D Program (863 Program) (No. 2008AA062502). The authors thank Prof. Oda for providing the Salmonella typhimurium strain.
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One table and four figures are provided in the “Electronic supplementary material” Section to present detailed information on the water quality of four fractions, genotoxicity changes of secondary effluent and its fractions during dechlorination, ofloxacin concentration changes during dechlorination, and fluorescence spectra of the fractions. This material is available free of charge via the website of Environ Sci Pollut Res. (DOC 197 kb)
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Wu, QY., Li, Y., Hu, HY. et al. Removal of genotoxicity in chlorinated secondary effluent of a domestic wastewater treatment plant during dechlorination. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 1–7 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0535-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0535-z