BRIGE: Reactivity of Effluent Organic Matter (EfOM) towards Hydroxyl Radical and Its Effect on the Application of Advanced Oxidation for Water Reuse Applications

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PI: Rosario-Ortiz, FernandoProposal Number: 0926396Project summary. Global concern over water availability has highlighted the importance of developing effective water reuse programs to alleviate current and future needs. Water reuse refers to the utilization of wastewater as an additional source for both potable and non-potable water applications. However, reusing water requires additional treatment, as compared to traditional wastewater handling, in order to reduce risks associated with organic contaminants and pathogens. In the case of wastewater organic contaminants, several processes are currently used to reduce them to acceptable levels, notably the utilization of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). AOPs are based on the activity of highly reactive species, typically hydroxyl radicals (OH), which are generated directly in the water and then react to destroy organic contaminants of concern. While AOPs have significant advantages in their ability to non-selectively destroy contaminants, one of the most important factors in their application is the decrease in the available OH due to side reactions (scavenging) with other water quality components, most importantly effluent organic matter (EfOM). EfOM is the organic carbon unique to human derived wastewater, in contrast to natural organic matter (NOM), which is derived from plant and soil based sources. A detailed understanding of the reactivity of EfOM, including specific sub-components within this material, would result in targeted pre-treatment of EfOM to remove high scavenging components before they cold impact the efficiency of AOP treatment systems. In this study a detailed evaluation of the chemistry between EfOM and OH is proposed by quantitatively determining the reactivity of different EfOM sub-components and to evaluate potential treatment options that could be applied to reduce overall EfOM reactivity. Intellectual merit. The application of AOPs to reduce levels of organic contaminants in water reuse operations is feasible under optimal conditions. A detailed understanding of the reactivity of EfOM is important, as this species will dominate OH scavenging reactions. However, a detailed, quantitative, study of EfOM chemistry is hindered by the inability to define its specific chemical structure. This project will conduct a detailed characterization of the reactivity of EfOM towards ?OH; specifically correlating how different sub-components (fractions) relate to its reactivity through quantitative measurement of reaction rate constants and correlation to EfOM bulk properties. Knowledge of specific EfOM reactivity will guide evaluation of existing treatment processes that could decrease its overall reactivity, therefore making the application of AOPs for water reuse more efficient and thus feasible. Broader impacts. A better understanding of the effect of EfOM on AOP applications will lead to the optimization of AOPs for water reuse applications both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, participation in this project will allow students to be exposed to the complex topic of water reuse, which is important to sustained growth and environmental health in many areas throughout the world. The proposed project is also designed to promote undergraduate and graduate student involvement and interaction in this vital area, particularly under-represented students in engineering and science at participating institutions. Students will be involved in all aspects of the project, performing the characterization and kinetics experiments, analyzing data, and correlating the findings of this work. The involved students will utilize state-of-the-art facilities to perform the required measurements, and ultimately present their findings at national and international meetings and workshops. Moreover, it is expected that all the results of this study will provide material to be incorporated in environmental engineering courses at CU Boulder and chemistry/ environmental science courses at CSULB.