Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water: Formation, Control and Treatment

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Emerging Contaminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 7233

Special Issue Editor

College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, China
Interests: drinking water; micropollutants; disinfection; disinfection byproducts; toxicity; metabolomics; transcriptomics; control technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are formed from the reaction between disinfectants (chlorine, ozone, chlorine dioxide, chloramines or UV) and precursors (natural organic matter and anthropogenic pollutants) in drinking water treatment processes. After the water distribution system, human exposure to DBPs via various contact methods is inevitable. Toxicity and epidemiological studies reveal their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and other health risks.

This Special Issue will focus on highlighting timely research studies addressing disinfection byproducts in drinking water. Authors are invited and welcome to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications.

Topics may include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Identification and removal of disinfection byproduct precursors;
  2. Identification of new disinfection byproducts;
  3. Control and removal of disinfection byproducts;
  4. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity caused by disinfection byproducts.

Dr. Jun Hu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • drinking water
  • wastewater
  • disinfection
  • disinfection byproducts
  • toxicity
  • metabolomics
  • transcriptomics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 6824 KiB  
Article
Disinfection By-Products Formation from Chlor(am)ination of Algal Organic Matter of Chlorella sorokiniana
by Luan de Souza Leite, Danilo Vitorino dos Santos, Cristina Filomena Pereira Rosa Paschoalato, Tom Bond and Luiz Antonio Daniel
Toxics 2023, 11(8), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11080690 - 10 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1360
Abstract
Eutrophication in water reservoirs releases algal organic matter (AOM), which is an important precursor of disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed during water treatment. Chlorella sorokiniana is a microalgae which flourishes under conditions of high light intensity and temperature, thus its prevalence in algal blooms [...] Read more.
Eutrophication in water reservoirs releases algal organic matter (AOM), which is an important precursor of disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed during water treatment. Chlorella sorokiniana is a microalgae which flourishes under conditions of high light intensity and temperature, thus its prevalence in algal blooms is expected to increase with climate change. However, Chlorella sorokiniana AOM has not been previously investigated as a DBP precursor. In this context, this study evaluated the effect of AOM concentration, humic acid (HA), and pH on DBP formation from chlor(am)ination of AOM Chlorella sorokiniana. DBP yields determined by linear regression for trichloromethane (TCM) and chloral hydrate (CH) were 57.9 and 46.0 µg·mg DOC−1 in chlorination, while the TCM, CH, dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), 1,1,1-trichloropropanone (1,1,1-TCP), and chloropicrin (CPN) concentrations were 33.6, 29.8, 16.7, 2.1, and 1.2 µg·mg DOC−1 in chloramination. Chloramination reduced the formation of TCM and CH but increased CPN, DCAN, and 1,1,1-TCP yields. AOM Chlorella sorokiniana showed a higher DBP formation than 9 of 11 algae species previously investigated in the literature. At basic pH, the concentration of TCM increased while the concentration of other DBP classes decreased. Bromide was effectively incorporated into the AOM structure and high values of bromine incorporation factor were found for THM (1.81–1.89) and HAN (1.32) at 1.5 mg Br·L−1. Empirical models predicted successfully the formation of THM and HAN (R2 > 0.86). The bromide concentration had more impact in the model on the DBP formation than AOM and HA. These results provide the first insights into the DBP formation from AOM chlor(am)ination of Chlorella sorokiniana. Full article
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Review

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15 pages, 1281 KiB  
Review
Stability of Drinking Water Distribution Systems and Control of Disinfection By-Products
by Qingwei Zhou, Zhengfu Bian, Dejun Yang and Li Fu
Toxics 2023, 11(7), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070606 - 12 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2312
Abstract
The stability of drinking water distribution systems and the management of disinfection by-products are critical to ensuring public health safety. In this paper, the interrelationships between corrosion products in the network, microbes, and drinking water quality are elucidated. This review also discusses the [...] Read more.
The stability of drinking water distribution systems and the management of disinfection by-products are critical to ensuring public health safety. In this paper, the interrelationships between corrosion products in the network, microbes, and drinking water quality are elucidated. This review also discusses the mechanisms through which corrosive by-products from the piping network influence the decay of disinfectants and the formation of harmful disinfection by-products. Factors such as copper corrosion by-products, CuO, Cu2O, and Cu2+ play a significant role in accelerating disinfectant decay and catalyzing the production of by-products. Biofilms on pipe walls react with residual chlorine, leading to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) that also amplify health risks. Finally, this paper finally highlights the potential of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), an industrial oxidant, as a disinfectant that can reduce DBP formation, while acknowledging the risks associated with its corrosive nature. Overall, the impact of the corrosive by-products of pipe scale and microbial communities on water quality in pipe networks is discussed, and recommendations for removing DBPs are presented. Full article
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13 pages, 877 KiB  
Review
A Review of Traditional and Emerging Residual Chlorine Quenchers on Disinfection By-Products: Impact and Mechanisms
by Xue Li, Zhijing Zhao, Zheng Qu, Xinyu Li, Zengli Zhang, Xiaojun Liang, Jingsi Chen and Jiafu Li
Toxics 2023, 11(5), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11050410 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2931
Abstract
Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are the most common organic contaminants in tap water and are of wide concern because of their highly developmental toxic, cytotoxic, and carcinogenic properties. Typically, to control the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, a certain concentration of residual chlorine is retained [...] Read more.
Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are the most common organic contaminants in tap water and are of wide concern because of their highly developmental toxic, cytotoxic, and carcinogenic properties. Typically, to control the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, a certain concentration of residual chlorine is retained in the factory water, which reacts with the natural organic matter and the disinfection by-products that have been formed, thus affecting the determination of DBPs. Therefore, to obtain an accurate concentration, residual chlorine in tap water needs to be quenched prior to treatment. Currently, the most commonly used quenching agents are ascorbic acid, sodium thiosulfate, ammonium chloride, sodium sulfite, and sodium arsenite, but these quenching agents can cause varying degrees of DBPs degradation. Therefore, in recent years, researchers have attempted to find emerging chlorine quenchers. However, no studies have been conducted to systematically review the effects of traditional quenchers and new ones on DBPs, as well as their advantages, disadvantages, and scope of application. For inorganic DBPs (bromate, chlorate, and chlorite), sodium sulfite has been proven to be the ideal chlorine quencher. For organic DBPs, although ascorbic acid caused the degradation of some DBPs, it remains the ideal quenching agent for most known DBPs. Among the studied emerging chlorine quenchers, n-acetylcysteine (NAC), glutathione (GSH), and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene are promising for their application as the ideal chlorine quencher of organic DBPs. The dehalogenation of trichloronitromethane, trichloroacetonitrile, trichloroacetamide, and bromochlorophenol by sodium sulfite is caused by nucleophilic substitution reaction. This paper takes the understanding of DBPs and traditional and emerging chlorine quenchers as a starting point to comprehensively summarize their effects on different types of DBPs, and to provide assistance in understanding and selecting the most suitable residual chlorine quenchers during DBPs research. Full article
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