Disinfection By-Products in Reclaimed Wastewater Effluents

原始的水供应正受到人口增长、气候动态变化以及经济活动对水的需求增加的威胁。近年来，艾伯塔省和萨斯喀彻温省南部一直受到轻度干旱的影响，未来可能会因落基山脉冰川和积雪的萎缩而加剧，落基山脉为这些地区的许多河流提供了水源。正在经历严重缺水和缺水的地区(如南加州、德克萨斯州、佛罗里达州)已经在开发和实施技术，从废水中增加水资源。 再生水回用于饮用水回用需要多步骤处理工艺，在工艺开始和结束时都要使用消毒剂，以有效控制微生物病原体。消毒剂还可能无意中与其他成分反应形成消毒副产物(DBPs)，其中一些被证明具有慢性毒性作用。由于流出的有机物与河流和湖泊中的天然有机物有很大不同，消毒剂可能会产生一套不同的DBPs(已知和未知)，毒性可能更高。由于没有针对衍生二氯苯酚的废水的具体指导方针，长期暴露在再生水中可能会增加人类健康风险。 我的研究计划的总体目的是调查消毒废水流出物中DBP的形成，并评估在全球独一无二的全规模实验废水和饮用水再利用研究设施中，当前和新的处理技术对DBP前体的去除情况。为此，这项研究计划将开发新的高灵敏度分析方法来准确测量有毒的DBPs(例如，开发ng/L水平的碘化DBPs的方法，评估将DBP降解降至最低的新样品保存技术)，从消毒废水中确定全面的DBP形态，表征废水中DBPs的形成机理，并评估不同处理方案产生的优质循环水的毒性。该计划采用跨学科方法，涉及分析化学、毒理学、工程学和水化学，努力解决未来几代人对水可持续性日益关注的问题。

Pristine water supplies are being threatened by population growth, changes in climate dynamics, and increasing water demands by economic activities. In recent years, southern parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan have been affected with mild drought conditions that could be aggravated in the future by shrinking glaciers and snow packs in the Rockies that feed many of these region's rivers. Areas that are experiencing severe water drought and scarcity (i.e., Southern California, Texas, Florida) are already developing and implementing technologies to augment their water resources from wastewater effluents. Recycled wastewater for potable reuse requires multi-step treatment process with disinfectants applied at the beginning and the end of the process to effectively control microbial pathogens. Disinfectants can also unintentionally react with other constituents to form disinfection by-products (DBPs), some of which are shown to have chronic toxicity effects. Because effluent organic matter is significantly different from natural organic matter found in rivers and lakes, disinfectants can produce a different suite of DBPs (known and unknown), with possibly higher toxicity. With no guidelines specific for wastewater derived-DBPs, long-term exposure to recycled water might pose an increased human health risk. The overall purpose of my research program is to investigate the formation of DBPs from disinfected wastewater effluents and evaluate the removal of DBP precursors by current and new treatment technologies in a globally one-of-a-kind full-scale experimental wastewater and potable reuse research facility. To this end, this research program will develop new and highly sensitive analytical methods to accurately measure toxic DBPs (e.g., developing methods for iodinated DBPs at ng/L, evaluate new sample preservation techniques that minimize DBP degradation), determine a comprehensive DBP speciation from disinfected wastewaters, characterize the formation mechanisms of wastewater derived DBPs, and assess the toxicity of high-quality recycled water produced from different treatment schemes. This program utilizes an interdisciplinary approach that involves analytical chemistry, toxicology, engineering, and water chemistry with efforts to address the growing concern of water sustainability for future generations.