Controlling the formation of halogenated byproducts in the chlorination of source waters by oxidative pre-treatment with the Fe(II)/Fe(III)-S(IV)-air system

Breakpoint chlorination is a generally accepted method for removing ammonium ion from source waters in drinking water treatment technologies. This process is often accompanied by the formation of halogenated organic byproducts. The presence of these compounds in potable water is of primary concern. In this paper, we demonstrate that the concentration of the precursors of the halogenated species can sufficiently be decreased by oxidizing the organic pollutants with the Fe(II)/Fe(III) - S(IV) - air system. Pre-oxidative treatment of the source waters results in a substantial reduction of chemical oxygen demand, while the ammonium ion concentration remains unaffected. The breakpoint chlorination produces substantially less trihalomethanes (THMs) and adsorbable halogenated organic compounds (AOXs) in oxidatively pre-treated source waters than in raw waters. These results offer a possibility to improve drinking water treatment technologies for better controlling the formation of antagonistic byproducts. It is demonstrated that reaching the regulated concentration levels of THMs is feasible with this method even in source waters containing organic pollutants at relatively high concentration levels. The main advantage of the procedure is that the reagents used for the oxidative pre-treatment are converted into non-toxic products (Fe(III) and SO₄^2-) by the end of the process.