Influence of molecular weight distribution of organic substances on the removal efficiency of DBPS in a conventional water treatment plant

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate how the molecular weight distribution of the organic substances affects their treatment efficiencies and the reduction of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in the various unit operations of a full-scale water treatment plant. The results indicate that the membrane with a smaller molecular weight cut-off is more effective for removing the organic substances and its associated water quality parameters from the raw water. For example, using the membrane with a molecular weight cut-off of 0.5 K (500 daltons), the removal efficiency of DOC from the raw water sample can be as high as 88%. Removal efficiencies of other water quality parameters such as UV254 absorbance, THMFP and AOXFP are generally between 65–69%. When undergoing the various unit operations in the conventional water treatment plant, most organic substances are removed in the coagulation process followed by sedimentation.