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Influence of pH and ozone dose on the content and structure of haloacetic acid precursors in groundwater

  • International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment in Zurich – ICCE 2011
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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of pH (6–10) and ozone dose [0.4–3.0 mg O3/mg dissolved organic carbon (DOC)] on the content and structure of haloacetic acid (HAA) precursors in groundwater rich in natural organic matter (NOM; DOC 9.85 ± 0.18 mg/L) during drinking water treatment. The raw water was ozonated in a 2 L glass column. NOM fractionation was carried out using XAD resins. HAA formation potential (HAAFP) was determined according to standard EPA Method 552. NOM characterization revealed it is mostly hydrophobic (65 % fulvic and 14 % humic acids). Hydrophobic NOM significantly influences HAA formation, as confirmed by the high HAAFP (309 ± 15 μg/L). Ozonation at pH 6–10 led to changes in NOM structure, i.e. complete humic acid oxidation, and increased the hydrophilic NOM fraction content (65–90 % achieved using 3.0 mg O3/mg DOC). The highest degree of NOM oxidation and HAA precursor removal was achieved at pH 10 (up to 68 % HAAFP). Ozonation pH influenced the distribution of HAA precursor content, as increasing the pH from 6 to 10 increased the reactivity of the hydrophilic fraction, with the HAAFP increasing from 19.1 ± 6.0 μg/mg DOC in raw water to 152 ± 8 μg/mg DOC in ozonated water. The degree of HAA precursor removal depends on the dominant oxidation mechanism, which is related to the applied ozone dose and the pH of the oxidation process. Ozonation at pH 10 favours the mechanism of radical NOM oxidation and was the most effective for HAAFP reduction, with the efficacy of the process improving with increasing ozone dose.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia (Project No. III 43005) and the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of the Government of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia (Project No. APV 114-451-1985). Special thanks are given to the SNSF SCOPES programme for the ICCE 2011 conference fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Jelena Molnar, Jasmina Agbaba, Božo Dalmacija, Srđan Rončević & Aleksandra Tubić

  2. Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Miljana Prica

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  1. Jelena Molnar
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  2. Jasmina Agbaba
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  3. Božo Dalmacija
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  4. Srđan Rončević
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  5. Miljana Prica
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  6. Aleksandra Tubić
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Correspondence to Jelena Molnar.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Molnar, J., Agbaba, J., Dalmacija, B. et al. Influence of pH and ozone dose on the content and structure of haloacetic acid precursors in groundwater. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 3079–3086 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0896-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0896-y

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