Evaluation of disinfection byproduct formation from extra- and intra-cellular algal organic matters during chlorination after Fe(vi) oxidation

Abstract

Blue-green algae commonly bloom in fresh water in summer, producing extra- and intra-cellular algal organic matters, which are important precursors for disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation. In this study, we evaluated the effect of pre-oxidation with ferrate(VI) (FeO₄²⁻, Fe(VI)) on the characterization of intracellular organic matter (IOM) and extracellular organic matter (EOM). The results indicated that soluble microbial-like products of EOM and IOM decreased and humic acid-like products of IOM increased, which would influence the DBP formation in the subsequent chlorination step. Therefore, in this study, the effect of Fe(VI) pre-oxidation on the DBP formation from IOM and EOM with subsequent chlorination was also investigated. For Chlorella sp., EOM presented no significant change, and IOM presented a reduction of THMs (8.2%) after Fe(VI) oxidation at a dosage of 16 mg L⁻¹. For P. limnetica, EOM and IOM both exhibited reduction of trihalomethanes (THMs) and chloral hydrate (CH) after Fe(VI) oxidation. Besides, THMs had the lowest concentration at pH 8.0 in all four solutions. Haloacetonitriles (HANs) and haloketones (HKs) showed slight changes with increasing pH values. Due to the frequent detection of bromide (Br⁻) in surface water, the effect of bromide existence on THM formation was also investigated. The results indicated that all brominated DBPs increased, and chlorinated DBPs decreased with the increase in bromide concentration. In addition, the bromine substitution factor (BSF) of Chlorella sp. and P. limnetica both increased with the increase in Br⁻ concentration.