Disinfection By-Products in Reclaimed Wastewater Effluents

由于人口增长、气候动态变化和经济活动对水的需求增加，原始水的供应正受到威胁。近年来，阿尔伯塔省和萨斯喀彻温省的南部地区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减少而加剧，这些冰川和积雪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（即南加州、德克萨斯州、佛罗里达州）已经在开发和实施技术，以从废水中增加水资源。饮用水回用的再生废水需要多步处理，在处理开始和结束时使用消毒剂，以有效控制微生物病原体。消毒剂也可以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。由于废水中的有机物与河流和湖泊中发现的天然有机物有很大不同，消毒剂可以产生不同的dbp（已知和未知），可能具有更高的毒性。由于没有针对废水衍生dbp的具体指导方针，长期接触循环水可能会增加人类健康风险。我的研究计划的总体目的是研究消毒废水流出物中DBP的形成，并评估当前和新的处理技术对DBP前体的去除效果，这是全球独一无二的全尺寸实验废水和饮用水回用研究设施。为此，该研究项目将开发新的高灵敏度分析方法，以准确测量有毒DBP（例如，开发ng/L碘化DBP的方法，评估新的样品保存技术，以最大限度地减少DBP的降解），确定消毒废水中DBP的综合形态，表征废水衍生DBP的形成机制，并评估由不同处理方案产生的高质量再生水的毒性。该计划采用跨学科的方法，涉及分析化学，毒理学，工程学和水化学，努力解决子孙后代对水可持续性日益增长的关注。

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.