Abstract
In this study, the influence of climatic season, molecular weight distribution, and spectroscopic properties on the formation of disinfection by-products and the biodegradability of dissolved organic matter from a tropical high-mountain reservoir was examined. Samples were collected during dry and rainy seasons and then concentrated using solid-phase extraction, with recoveries of 36.84 and 46.38%, respectively. The samples exhibited differences in their molecular weight distribution, with values of molecular weight equal to 1523.13 ± 30.41 Da for dry season samples and 2482.70 ± 13.45 Da for rainy season samples. Subsequently, the samples were fractionated using liquid preparative high-pressure size exclusion chromatography and analyzed for their biodegradability and their potential for the formation of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. It was observed that biodegradability was higher for the fractions with lower chromophore content (r = − 0.3571) and higher polydispersity (r = 0.5357), indicating that fractions that were more polydisperse and had a lower molecular weight were more susceptible to biological degradation. Among the haloacetic acids, bromochloroacetic acid was the major component, comprising 42.80% to 68.69% of the total haloacetic acids. Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between total haloacetic acids and total trihalomethanes with dissolved organic matter chromophoric character (r = 0.5357 and r = 0.4643, respectively), as well as with molecular weight (r = 0.1429 and 0.0714, respectively).
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The authors wish to acknowledge Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) for financing the research project (research project PI09-1-01, Inter-administrative Agreement PC – 2999083845). They also thank the Grupo de Investigación en Sustancias Bioactivas (GISB) and the GDCON, both from the University of Antioquia, for their technical contributions.
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This work was supported by Empresas Públicas de Medellín E.S.P. (EPM) (Research project PI09-1–01, Inter-administrative Agreement PC – 2999083845).
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Hincapié–Upegui, D., Pemberthy Mendoza, D. & Peñuela, G.A. Formation of disinfection by-products and biodegradability of dissolved organic matter fractions from a tropical high-mountain reservoir. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 21, 2559–2574 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05139-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-023-05139-6