Mitigation of Disinfection Byproduct Formation in a Municipal Wastewater Reclamation Facility

The managers of a Study Facility, located in Florida, funded a research project to determine the feasibility of various treatment scenarios to control disinfection by-product (DBPs) formation, specifically bromodichloromethane (BDCM), during the chlorination disinfection process.Bench testing of the_secondary effluent showed that the primary water quality parameters that contributed to excessive BDCM formation were TOC and bromide. The TOC in the secondary effluent varied between 10-13 mg/L and the bromide varied between 400-500 μg/L. The results of bench scale tests indicated minor modifications to the current disinfection processes would not yield sufficient DBPs reductions to meet proposed regulatory limits.As a result, an evaluation of alternative disinfectants including ozone (O3), ultraviolet (UV) light and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) was carried out in order to provide the most feasible solution for the mitigation of the DBPs at the Study Facility.