Chlorine addition prior to granular activated carbon contactors improves trihalomethane control

Natalia Fischer; Amlan Ghosh; Binga Talabi; Chad Seidel; Paul Westerhoff

doi:10.1002/aws2.1119

Chlorine addition prior to granular activated carbon contactors improves trihalomethane control

Natalia Fischer, Amlan Ghosh, Binga Talabi, Chad Seidel, Paul Westerhoff

Engineering, Ira A. Fulton Schools of (IAFSE)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Optimizing granular activated carbon (GAC) operation can reduce costs for removing disinfection byproducts or their precursors. This article investigates prechlorination to enhance the removal of total trihalomethane (TTHM) precursors and reduce TTHM concentrations in finished water. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) and pilot tests using virgin and reactivated GAC were conducted on water with and without prechlorination. Prechlorination (1 or 2 mg Cl₂/L) increased (by 15 and 30%, respectively) the number of bed volumes treated by GAC. On the basis of size exclusion chromatography, prechlorination followed by GAC preferentially removed low-molecular-weight dissolved organic carbon by GAC. Simulated distribution system (SDS) chlorination tests on GAC effluent showed lower TTHM concentrations with prechlorination. Prechlorination lowered the bromine incorporation factor values in GAC effluents after SDS tests, which suggests a reduction in toxicity potential from trihalomethanes. RSSCT results were validated by pilot testing, showing that RSSCTs can be used to optimize the prechlorination process.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e1119
Journal	AWWA Water Science
Volume	1
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1119
State	Published - Jan 1 2019

Keywords

chlorination
disinfection byproducts
granular activated carbon
rapid small-scale column test

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Ocean Engineering
Waste Management and Disposal
Water Science and Technology
Oceanography

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10.1002/aws2.1119

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title = "Chlorine addition prior to granular activated carbon contactors improves trihalomethane control",

abstract = "Optimizing granular activated carbon (GAC) operation can reduce costs for removing disinfection byproducts or their precursors. This article investigates prechlorination to enhance the removal of total trihalomethane (TTHM) precursors and reduce TTHM concentrations in finished water. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) and pilot tests using virgin and reactivated GAC were conducted on water with and without prechlorination. Prechlorination (1 or 2 mg Cl2/L) increased (by 15 and 30%, respectively) the number of bed volumes treated by GAC. On the basis of size exclusion chromatography, prechlorination followed by GAC preferentially removed low-molecular-weight dissolved organic carbon by GAC. Simulated distribution system (SDS) chlorination tests on GAC effluent showed lower TTHM concentrations with prechlorination. Prechlorination lowered the bromine incorporation factor values in GAC effluents after SDS tests, which suggests a reduction in toxicity potential from trihalomethanes. RSSCT results were validated by pilot testing, showing that RSSCTs can be used to optimize the prechlorination process.",

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author = "Natalia Fischer and Amlan Ghosh and Binga Talabi and Chad Seidel and Paul Westerhoff",

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AU - Ghosh, Amlan

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AU - Seidel, Chad

AU - Westerhoff, Paul

PY - 2019/1/1

Y1 - 2019/1/1

N2 - Optimizing granular activated carbon (GAC) operation can reduce costs for removing disinfection byproducts or their precursors. This article investigates prechlorination to enhance the removal of total trihalomethane (TTHM) precursors and reduce TTHM concentrations in finished water. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) and pilot tests using virgin and reactivated GAC were conducted on water with and without prechlorination. Prechlorination (1 or 2 mg Cl2/L) increased (by 15 and 30%, respectively) the number of bed volumes treated by GAC. On the basis of size exclusion chromatography, prechlorination followed by GAC preferentially removed low-molecular-weight dissolved organic carbon by GAC. Simulated distribution system (SDS) chlorination tests on GAC effluent showed lower TTHM concentrations with prechlorination. Prechlorination lowered the bromine incorporation factor values in GAC effluents after SDS tests, which suggests a reduction in toxicity potential from trihalomethanes. RSSCT results were validated by pilot testing, showing that RSSCTs can be used to optimize the prechlorination process.

AB - Optimizing granular activated carbon (GAC) operation can reduce costs for removing disinfection byproducts or their precursors. This article investigates prechlorination to enhance the removal of total trihalomethane (TTHM) precursors and reduce TTHM concentrations in finished water. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) and pilot tests using virgin and reactivated GAC were conducted on water with and without prechlorination. Prechlorination (1 or 2 mg Cl2/L) increased (by 15 and 30%, respectively) the number of bed volumes treated by GAC. On the basis of size exclusion chromatography, prechlorination followed by GAC preferentially removed low-molecular-weight dissolved organic carbon by GAC. Simulated distribution system (SDS) chlorination tests on GAC effluent showed lower TTHM concentrations with prechlorination. Prechlorination lowered the bromine incorporation factor values in GAC effluents after SDS tests, which suggests a reduction in toxicity potential from trihalomethanes. RSSCT results were validated by pilot testing, showing that RSSCTs can be used to optimize the prechlorination process.

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KW - rapid small-scale column test

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Chlorine addition prior to granular activated carbon contactors improves trihalomethane control

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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