The use of chlorine to disinfect potable water is one of the most widely practiced methods used to combat disease-causing pathogens. However, an unintended consequence of chlorine disinfection is the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs)—chemicals that are regulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The by-products of chlorination and other oxidants are a growing concern with regard to long-term human health exposure. This concern, in part, motivated the USEPA in 2006 to promulgate the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (DBPR) that further reduced the risk of a consumer’s exposure to DBPs in public water systems (USEPA 2006).
These requirements have led to the development of different techniques for DBP prevention and control.
For water purveyors that struggle with elevated TTHM occurrences, aeration is an attractive treatment option because of its relatively low capital and operating costs compared with other DBP precursor removal processes such as activated carbon, enhanced coagulation, anion exchange, and membrane processes.
This article focuses on the evaluation of TTHM formation in disinfected groundwater that had been treated using spray aeration.
Duranceau, S., and Smith, T. "Trihalomethane Formation Downstream of Spray Aerators Treating Disinfected Groundwater."Journal of the American Water Works Association. 108(2), pp: E99-E108, February 2016.