Tracing dissolved organic carbon and trihalomethane formation potential between source water and finished drinking water at a lowland and an upland UK catchment

Brooks, Emma; Freeman, Christopher; Gough, Rachel; Holliman, Peter J.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.017

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Recently, natural organic matter (NOM) has attracted significant research attention because it compromises the performance of water treatment plants (WTPs). Natural organic matter affects the efficiency of water treatment stages such as the coagulation-flocculation [1], and potentially leads to the generation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) [2][3][4]. Optimization of treatment processes for the removal of NOM requires data on its characteristics and seasonal variation in the water source [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The properties and removal efficacies of natural organic matter fractions by South African drinking water treatment plants

Moyo

Chaukura

Msagati

et al. 2019

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The properties and removal efficacies of natural organic matter fractions by South African drinking water treatment plants

Moyo

Chaukura

Msagati

et al. 2019

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

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“…THM concentrations in potable water are strictly regulated; for example, the European Union limit is 100 μg L −1 for total THMs, whereas the World Health Organisation recommends concentration limits for individual THMs of between 60 and 300 μg L −1 (Werner, Valdivia-Garcia, Weir, & Haffey, 2016). Increased DOC concentrations therefore present a problem to water companies due to the cost associated with its removal and penalties for exceeding regulatory limits (Brooks, Freeman, Gough, & Holliman, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peatland ditch blocking has no effect on dissolved organic matter (DOM) quality

Peacock

Jones

Futter

et al. 2018

Hydrological Processes

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The globally widespread drainage of peatlands has often been shown to lead to increased concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in streams and rivers. Elevated DOC concentrations have implications for carbon cycling, ecosystem functioning, and potable water treatment. Peatland rewetting, principally through ditch blocking, is often carried out with the expectation that this will reduce DOC concentrations. Uncertainty still remains as to whether drainage, or its reversal via ditch blocking, will also lead to changes in the molecular composition of DOC/dissolved organic matter (DOM), which have the potential to affect downstream processing and treatability of U.K. drinking water supplies. To investigate this question, we used a replicated experiment consisting of 12 parallel ditches on an upland bog and took samples of ditch water, pore water, and overland flow water for 4 years. After a brief preblocking baseline period, eight ditches were blocked using two methods. A complementary suite of optical metrics, chemical measurements, and analytical techniques revealed that ditch blocking had no consistent effect on DOM quality, up to 4 years after blocking. Where significant differences were found, effect size calculations demonstrated that these differences were small and would therefore have minimal impact upon water treatability. Furthermore, some differences between ditches were evident before blocking took place, highlighting the need for robust baseline monitoring before intervention. Based on our results from a hillslope‐scale experiment, we were unable to identify clear evidence that peatland ditch blocking will deliver benefits in terms of DOM treatability in potable water supplies, although we also did not find any evidence of short‐term deterioration in water quality during the restoration period. We conclude that, although peatland restoration can be expected to deliver other benefits such as reduced carbon loss and enhanced biodiversity, it is doubtful whether it will lead to improvements in drinking water treatability.

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“…The DOC concentrations in the lake water varied significantly over the course of the study, with the highest concentration occurring at day 239 after a series of rainfall events in January/February (Figure 2). Trends of DOC are known to change seasonally, and previous studies have reported decreases in Autumn and Spring (Eimers et al, 2008), and increases in November and May (Brooks et al, 2015). Evidently, the concentration of DOC is dependent on many variables, making it more difficult to design a treatment system that can work efficiently across a large concentration range.…”

Section: Influent Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of novel media in stratified filters to remove organic carbon from lake water

2016

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Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are an ever-increasing occurrence in water networks, 12 particularly those which abstract water from peatland areas. Although much research has 13 been carried out to discover novel methods to remove specific DBPs, the removal of natural 14 organic matter (NOM) from source water may provide a more sustainable solution in many 15areas. This study focuses on the removal of NOM by novel filters, which could be 16 retrospectively fitted to any conventional water treatment facility. The filters comprised 17 stratified layers of a variety of media, including sand, Bayer residue, granular activated 18 carbon (GAC), and pyritic fill. The filters were operated under two loading regimes, 19 continuous and intermittent, at loading rates similar to recognised design standards. The most 20 successful filter design comprised stratified layers of sand, GAC, and pyritic fill. Over the 21 duration of a 240 day study, these filters obtained average dissolved organic carbon removal 22 rates of 40%, and achieved average specific ultra-violet absorbance reductions from 2.9 to 2.4 23 L mg -1 m -1 . The study demonstrates that these novel filters may be used to reduce NOM 24 levels, thus reducing the potential for DBP formation. Such designs can incorporate the use of 25 waste media, making the overall design more sustainable and robust. 26

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Tracing dissolved organic carbon and trihalomethane formation potential between source water and finished drinking water at a lowland and an upland UK catchment

Cited by 19 publications

References 44 publications

The properties and removal efficacies of natural organic matter fractions by South African drinking water treatment plants

The properties and removal efficacies of natural organic matter fractions by South African drinking water treatment plants

Peatland ditch blocking has no effect on dissolved organic matter (DOM) quality

Performance of novel media in stratified filters to remove organic carbon from lake water

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