Removal of disinfection by-product precursors by ion exchange resins

The removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a key factor in the control of disinfection by-product (DBP) formation in drinking water. Ion exchange process deals with the removal of naturally negatively charged organic matter. A fluidized bed column test has been chosen to test in parallel the efficiency of 4 different anionic exchange resins (Purolite PPA860S, Dowex TAN-1, Amberlite IRA-958 and IRA-410) in terms of DOC fraction removal and related DBP formation reduction. IRA-410 was shown to be the best performing resin in terms of DOC and DBP formation potential reduction followed by PPA860S. These resins removed respectively 41 and 37 % of DOC, with humic substances as the main target of the two resins (68 and 72 % reduction, respectively, based on size exclusion chromatography with an organic carbon detector). The UV absorbance was reduced in a higher proportion than the DOC demonstrating a preference of the resins for the relatively hydrophobic compounds. The reduction in trihalomethane and haloacetic acid formation was higher than the DOC removal for IRA-410 and PPA860S (53 and 59 %, respectively); whereas IRA-958 on the other hand showed a lower reduction in DBP formation potential than its DOC removal. All the resins showed a much higher reduction of iodinated trihalomethanes formation potential (66-96% reduction compared to raw water) due to the removals of iodide in addition of organic precursors. However, in a context of increasing halide concentrations, the different resins showed a reduction of their efficiency to control the formation of DBPs.

Automated summary

The study found that IRA-410 and PPA860S are the best-performing resins in terms of removing dissolved organic carbon and reducing disinfection by-product formation potential, removing 41% and 37% of the DOC respectively, and demonstrating a higher preference for relatively hydrophobic compounds. IRA-958, while having average DOC removal efficiency, showed slightly lower performance in reducing DBP formation potential compared to the other resins.