Reuse treatment with ozonation, biofiltration, and activated carbon adsorption for total organic carbon control and disinfection byproduct regulation compliance | CU Experts

AbstractThe widespread and successful use of coagulation, ozonation, biofiltration, and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption for the treatment of impaired drinking water sources makes them attractive as an economical approach for direct potable reuse. This study systematically evaluated these processes for the treatment of four secondary wastewater effluents with the objective of meeting U.S. drinking water disinfection byproduct (DBP) regulations and developing treatment objectives. Total trihalomethane (TTHM) and the sum of five haloacetic acids (HAA5) targets of 60 and 50 μg/L, respectively, were developed under uniform formation conditions and were related to a target total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of 2 mg/L. Ozonation, followed by biofiltration, was effective in decreasing HAA5 formation to below the target levels, but GAC treatment was needed to meet the target TTHM and TOC levels. Optimizing the TOC removal before GAC treatment extended the GAC run times similarily to those found in drinking water treatment. Drinking water–based DBP formation algorithms were very effective in predicting TTHM and HAA5 formation.

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