Technical paper on organic contaminants in Guangzhou rivers released.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/n7135xq111x669n1/
Size and resin fractionations of dissolved organic matter and trihalomethane precursors from four typical source waters in China
Journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0167-6369 (Print) 1573-2959 (Online)
Issue Volume 141, Numbers 1-3 / June, 2008
DOI 10.1007/s10661-007-9901-1
Pages 347-357
Subject Collection Earth and Environmental Science
SpringerLink Date Wednesday, September 12, 2007


Size and resin fractionations of dissolved organic matter and trihalomethane precursors from four typical source waters in China

Qunshan Wei1, 2, Dongsheng Wang1 Contact Information, Qia Wei1, 3, Chunguang Qiao1, Baoyou Shi1 and Hongxiao Tang1
(1) State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
(2) Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361003, China
(3) Department of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Nanchang Institute of Aeronautical Technology, Nanchang, 330063, China

Received: 27 December 2006 Accepted: 27 August 2007 Published online: 13 September 2007
Abstract Dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its potential to form disinfection by-products (DBPs) during drinking water treatment raise challenges to water quality control. Understanding both chemical and physical characteristics of DOM in source waters is key to better water treatment. In this study, the DOM from four typical source waters in China was fractionated by XAD resin adsorption (RA) and ultrafiltration (UF) techniques. The trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) of all fractions in the DOM were investigated to reveal the major THM precursors. The fraction distributions of DOM could be related to their geographical origins in a certain extent. The dominant chemical fraction as THM precursors in the DOM from south waters (East-Lake reservoir in Shenzhen and Peal rivers in Guangzhou) was hydrophobic acid (HoA). The size fraction with molecular weight (MW) <1 kDa in both south waters had the highest THMFP. The results of cluster analysis showed that the parameters of fractions including DOC percentage (DOC%), UV254%, SUVA254 (specific UV254 absorbance) and THMFP were better for representing the differences of DOM from the studied waters than specific THMFP (STHMFP). The weak correlation between SUVA254 and STHMFP for either size or XAD fractions suggests that whether SUVA254 can be used as an indicator for the reactivity of THM formation is highly dependent on the nature of organic matter.

Keywords Dissolved organic matter - Disinfection by-products - Fractionation - Trihalomethane formation potential - Ultrafiltration - UV absorbance - XAD resin

Contact Information Dongsheng Wang