Keywords
High performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC); natural organic matter (NOM); dissolved organic carbon (DOC); environmental decision support systems (EDSS)
Start Date
15-9-2020 7:00 PM
End Date
15-9-2020 7:20 PM
Abstract
Drinkable water is an essential public service provided by water treatment works (WTWs). Potable water treatment is affected by several factors such as turbidity, natural organic matter (NOM), biological agents, taste and odor-causing compounds and other anthropogenic organic compounds. One of the biggest challenges of the WTWs is to strike a balance between disinfection processes to control microbiological risks during NOM removal and preventing the formation of undesirable chemicals caused by disinfectants (DPBs). On-line sensors are currently used for monitoring physical parameters (pH, flow rate, turbidity and temperature) while routine quality control also includes the monitoring of surrogate chemical parameters related to NOM such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and spectroscopy measurements of UV light absorbance at 254 nm (UV254). However, reliability of those inputs regarding water quality and performance is still unclear as NOM composition is highly variable depending on an undeterminable number of factors including seasonality influences and catchment characteristics. At the end, WTWs are barely able to predetermine variations and tailor treatments according to the raw water conditions. NOM fractionation by High Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography (HPSEC) using multiple detectors (DAD and DOC) enables a deeper understanding of the fate of NOM within the WTWs treatment train and the contribution of the different fractions to the formation of DBPs. This paper summarizes the experience gained in the assessment of three WTWs in Catalonia, combining full-scale and bench-scale tests making a step forward in the NOM fractionation through common unit operations (coagulation vs enhanced coagulation / ultrafiltration / adsorption). The knowledge gathered is being structured in an environmental decision support system (EDSS) as a tool to facilitate the integration of the on-line NOM surrogate parameters measured in WTWs combined with the gained knowledge of NOM fractionation through HPSEC-DOC plus various complementary expertise to finally achieve a resilient, robust, reliable and optimal operation in WTWs.
NOM fractionation by HPSEC-DAD-DOC to optimise drinking water treatment processes
Drinkable water is an essential public service provided by water treatment works (WTWs). Potable water treatment is affected by several factors such as turbidity, natural organic matter (NOM), biological agents, taste and odor-causing compounds and other anthropogenic organic compounds. One of the biggest challenges of the WTWs is to strike a balance between disinfection processes to control microbiological risks during NOM removal and preventing the formation of undesirable chemicals caused by disinfectants (DPBs). On-line sensors are currently used for monitoring physical parameters (pH, flow rate, turbidity and temperature) while routine quality control also includes the monitoring of surrogate chemical parameters related to NOM such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and spectroscopy measurements of UV light absorbance at 254 nm (UV254). However, reliability of those inputs regarding water quality and performance is still unclear as NOM composition is highly variable depending on an undeterminable number of factors including seasonality influences and catchment characteristics. At the end, WTWs are barely able to predetermine variations and tailor treatments according to the raw water conditions. NOM fractionation by High Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography (HPSEC) using multiple detectors (DAD and DOC) enables a deeper understanding of the fate of NOM within the WTWs treatment train and the contribution of the different fractions to the formation of DBPs. This paper summarizes the experience gained in the assessment of three WTWs in Catalonia, combining full-scale and bench-scale tests making a step forward in the NOM fractionation through common unit operations (coagulation vs enhanced coagulation / ultrafiltration / adsorption). The knowledge gathered is being structured in an environmental decision support system (EDSS) as a tool to facilitate the integration of the on-line NOM surrogate parameters measured in WTWs combined with the gained knowledge of NOM fractionation through HPSEC-DOC plus various complementary expertise to finally achieve a resilient, robust, reliable and optimal operation in WTWs.
Stream and Session
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