Effect of coexisting manganese ion on the formation of haloacetic acids during chlorination

Abstract

Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are a group of disinfection by-products formed by the reaction of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in source water and disinfectants in the drinking water treatment process. The formation of HAAs is known to be affected by several factors (e.g., pH, temperature, concentration, and DOM components in source water). However, the effects of coexisting substances, such as metal ions, on HAA formation are not well understood. In this study, HAA formation potentials (FPs) of model compounds of DOM and environmental waters in the presence or absence of manganese ion upon chlorination were compared. The results of experiments with model compounds of DOM showed that manganese ion promoted the formation of HAA from citric acid, trans-aconitic acid, and cis-aconitic acid. Even for a manganese concentration of less than 50 μg/L, which is the standard value of manganese in drinking water in the USA, EU, and Japan, manganese had great influence on the dichloroacetic acid FPs of these compounds. However, the manganese ion did not enhance the HAAFPs of the environmental waters tested. Nevertheless, manganese may have an effect on HAAFPs of environmental waters collected at the occurrence of an unusual growth of microorganisms, such as algal bloom.

Keywords: Chlorination; Citric acid; Disinfection by-products; Haloacetic acids; Manganese ion.