Species distribution of arsenic in sediments after an unexpected emergent discharge of high-arsenic wastewater into a river

The unexpected emergent discharge of high-arsenic wastewater into water environments results in significantly increased levels of arsenic in water; however, the species distribution of arsenic in sediments has never been reported before for such cases. This study focuses on an As pollution accident in the Dasha River, and uses sequential extraction procedures with deionized water, 1?mol·L^-1 MgCl₂ at pH= 8, 1?mol·L^-1 NaH₂PO₄ at pH= 5, and 1?mol·L^-1 HCl to investigate four binding phases of arsenic (i.e., water soluble, ion-exchangeable, strongly-bound, and precipitates) in sediments at different layers in different cross-sections along the river. The average ratio of arsenite (As(III)) to arsenate (As(V)) was found to decrease from 0.74:1 in river water to 0.48:1 in sediment, owing to its higher affinity toward As(V) than As(III). The content of arsenic in the sediments was relatively low and the maximum content was observed to be 36.3?mg·kg^-1 for As(III) and 97.5?mg·kg^-1 for As(V). As(III) and As(V) showed different binding phases in sediments, and the average fractions of these four species were determined to be 0.09, 0.11, 0.17, and 0.63 for As(III) and 0.03, 0.14, 0.63, and 0.20 for As(V), respectively. For all the sediment samples, the content of arsenic showed no relationship with the characteristics of the sediments such as the particle diameter, the content of organic carbon, Fe, and Mn, although a negative correlation with particle diameter was observed for the sediments in the uppermost 2-cm layer. The unexpected emergent As incident results in the high content of total arsenic in the surface sediment, which may be potential secondary source to the elevated As levels in surface water.     

硝酸钙投加频次对污泥生物调理效果的影响

在接种了反硝化菌的剩余污泥中投加硝酸钙药剂,利用反硝化菌消耗NO3-进行反硝化作用去除污泥中易生物降解的有机物,利用Ca2＋的中和、架桥作用,改善污泥的脱水性能.固定NO;总投加浓度为100 mg?g-1 TS,在6d的时间内,按1次、2次、3次、6次的投加频次向污泥中投加硝酸钙.结果表明,1次投加对污泥脱水性能的提升...     

Upgrade of three municipal wastewater treatment lagoons using a high surface area media

Lagoon-based municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are facing difficulties meeting the needs of rapid population growth as well as the more stringent requirements of discharge permits. Three municipal WWTPs were modified using a high surface area media with upgraded fine-bubble aeration systems. Performance data collected showed very promising results in terms of five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), ammonia (NH₃) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal. Two-year average ammonia effluents were 4.1 mg·L^-1 for Columbia WWTP, 4 mg·L^-1 for Larchmont WWTP and 2.1 mg·L^-1 for Laurelville WWTP, respectively. Two- year average BOD₅ effluents were 6.8, 4.9 and 2.7 mg·L^-1, and TSS effluents were 15.0, 9.6 and 7.5 mg·L^-1. The systems also showed low fecal coliform (FC) levels in their effluents.     

Selective recovery of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from wastewater using bioelectrochemical system

As the bioelectrochemical system, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) and the microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) were developed to selectively recover Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions from wastewater. The wastewater was treated in the cathode chambers of the system, in which Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions were removed by using the MFC and the MEC, respectively. At an initial Cu²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, removal efficiencies of Cu²⁺ increased from 97.0%±1.8% to 99.0%±0.3% with the initial Ni²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.1±0.5 to 5.4±0.6 W·m^-3. The Ni²⁺ removal mass in the MEC increased from 6.8±0.2 to 20.5±1.5 mg with the increase of Ni²⁺ concentrations. At an initial Ni²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, Cu²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 99.1%±0.3% to 74.2%±3.8% with the initial Cu²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.0±0.1 to 6.3±1.2 W·m^-3. Subsequently, the Ni²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 96.9%±3.1% to 73.3%±5.4%. The results clearly demonstrated the feasibility of selective recovery of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ from the wastewater using the bioelectrochemical system.     

Fermentative hydrogen production from beet sugar factory wastewater treatment in a continuous stirred tank reactor using anaerobic mixed consortia

A low pH, ethanol-type fermentation process was evaluated for wastewater treatment and bio-hydrogen production from acidic beet sugar factory wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an effective volume of 9.6 L by anaerobic mixed cultures in this present study. After inoculating with aerobic activated sludge and operating at organic loading rate (OLR) of 12 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1, HRT of 8h, and temperature of 35°C for 28 days, the CSTR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. When OLR was further increased to 18 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1 on the 53rd day, ethanol-type fermentation dominant microflora was enhanced. The liquid fermentation products, including volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ethanol, stabilized at 1493 mg·L^-1 in the bioreactor. Effluent pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and alkalinity ranged at 4.1–4.5, -250–(-290) mV, and 230–260 mgCaCO₃?L^-1. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 0.1 L?gMLVSS^-1·d^-1 and the COD removal efficiency was 45%. The experimental results showed that the CSTR system had good operation stability and microbial activity, which led to high substrate conversion rate and hydrogen production ability.     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时检测水体中26种药物及个人护理品

通过优化固相萃取条件和高效液相色谱-串联质谱参数,建立了可以同时检测地表水和地下水中26种典型药物及个人护理品(pharmaceuticals and personal care products,PPCPs),包括磺胺类、大环内酯类、喹诺酮类、酰胺醇类、精神类、消炎止痛类以及个人护理品的检测方法.通过将水样pH值调节至7,利用HLB固相萃取柱对水样中PPCPs进行富集,以甲醇和含0.005%甲酸的水溶液作为正离子模式流动相,甲醇和含0.5 mmol·L^-1乙酸铵的水溶液作为负离子模式流动相进行梯度洗脱,采用多反应监测的质谱扫描模式(MRM)分析测定.26种PPCPs的检出限为0.007—1.78 ng·L^-1,定量限为0.02—5.68 ng·L^-1,回收率为52.28%—115.24%.利用该方法检测北京潮白河地表水和地下水中PPCPs的浓度,结果表明,地表水中PPCPs的含量普遍高于地下水,磺胺甲恶唑、舒必利、咖啡因、卡马西平和布洛芬在地表水和地下水中的含量相对较高,检测浓度分别高达147.83、52.48、78.35、166.58、30.63 ng·L^-1.     

Degradation of bisphenol A by microorganisms immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol microspheres

In this study, microorganisms （named B111） were immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol microspheres prepared by the inverse suspension crosslinked method. The biodegradation of bisphenol A （BPA） and 4-hydro- xybenzaldehyde, a degradation product of BPA, by free and immobilized B lll was investigated. The BPA degradation studies were carried out at initial BPA concentrations ranging from 25 to 150 mg·L^-1. The affinity constant Ks and maximum degradation rate Rmax were 98.3 mg·L^-1 and 19.7mg·mg^-1VSS·d^-1 for free B111, as well as 87.2mg·L^-1 and 21.1mg·mg^-1VSS·d^-1 for immobilized B 111, respectively. 16S rDNA gene sequence analyses confirmed that the dominant genera were Pseudomonas and Brevundimonas for BPA biodegradation in microorganisms B 111.     

Optimization of thermophilic anaerobic-aerobic treatment system for Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

Optimization of an integrated anaerobic-aerobic bioreactor (IAAB) treatment system for the reduction of organic matter (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) concentrations) in Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) to legal standards with high methane yield was performed for the first time under thermophilic condition (50°C–55°C) by using response surface methodology (RSM). The experiments were conducted based on a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) with three independent operating variables, organic loading rates in anaerobic compartment (OLR_an) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentration in anaerobic (MLVSS_an) and aerobic compartments (MLVSS_a). The optimum conditions for the POME treatment were determined as OLR_an of 15.6 g COD·L^-1·d^-1, MLVSS_an of 43100 mg·L^-1, and MLVSS_a of 18600 mg·L^-1, where high aerobic COD, BOD and TSS removal efficiencies of 96.3%, 97.9%, and 98.5% were achieved with treated BOD of 56 mg·L^-1 and TSS of 28 mg·L^-1 meeting the discharge standard. This optimization study successfully achieved a reduction of 42% in the BOD concentrations of the final treated effluent at a 48% higher OLR_an as compared to the previous works. Besides, thermophilic IAAB system scores better feasibility and higher effectiveness as compared to the optimized mesophilic system. This is due to its higher ability to handle high OLR with higher overall treatment efficiencies (more than 99.6%), methane yield (0.31 L CH₄·g^-1 COD_removed) and purity of methane (67.5%). Hence, these advantages ascertain the applicability of thermophilic IAAB in the POME treatment or even in other high-strength wastewaters treatment.     

过硫酸钠氧化脱色罗丹明B——影响因素和机理

采用过硫酸钠(PDS)直接氧化和催化活化氧化脱色罗丹明B(RhB),分别考察了PDS剂量、pH、催化剂、Cl-浓度对RhB脱色的影响.结果表明,PDS在无外加催化剂下能够有效脱色RhB,pH越低,脱色率越高;当pH 2.4,PDS用量为3.5 g·L^-1,在120 min内RhB的脱色率可达92%;自由基淬灭实验表明,酸性条件下主要为PDS直接氧化脱色RhB,并存在小部分硫酸根自由基(SO₄4·-)作用.在pH 5.6、pH 8.0条件下,外加活性炭纤维(ACF)、四氧化三铁(Fe₃O₄4)、Fe₃O₄4负载型催化剂(ACF/Fe3O₄4)可促进PDS对RhB脱色;在pH 2.4条件下,外加ACF对RhB脱色的促进作用较小,Fe₃O₄4、ACF/Fe₃O₄4对RhB脱色有一定抑制作用.不同pH和催化剂处理下,低浓度Cl-(0.01、0.04 mO₄l·L^-1)对RhB脱色速率都呈现抑制作用,高浓度Cl-(0.08 mO₄l·L^-1)相对于低浓度Cl-处理都呈促进作用.不同浓度Cl-处理在反应前60 min RhB脱色速率差异较大,而反应120 min后脱色率差异较小.提出Cl-通过调控SO₄4·-脱色RhB途径来影响RhB脱色速率的机理,Cl-竞争消耗SO₄4·-降低RhB脱色速率,但经一系列反应生成的Cl2·-能与RhB快速反应而提高RhB脱色速率;Cl-对RhB的脱色反应速率的影响存在抑制-促进双重机制,且与Cl-浓度相关.研究结果为基于PDS直接氧化和催化氧化处理含盐染料废水的研究和应用提供了一定的理论依据.     

Occurance and control of manganese in a large scale water treatment plant

The continuous variations of dissolved oxygen (DO), manganese (Mn), pH, and their effect on manganese removal by different water treatment processes are investigated. The results show that the declined DO concentration and pH value in the bottom of reservoir results in the increasing release of Mn from sediment to source water. Manganese concentration increased from 0.1 to 0.4 mg·L^-1 under the condition that DO concentration decreased from 12.0 to 2.0 mg·L^-1 in raw water. The different water treatment processes exhibited different efficiency on manganese removal. The processes with recycling of the suspended sludge, low elevation velocity in settling tank and slow filter rate, will benefit the manganese removal. During a high release of manganese in raw water, traditional coagulation-sedimentation and filtration could not completely remove Mn, although granular activated carbon filtration (GAC) had been applied. At that case, preoxidation with chlorine or potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) was necessary to address the high manganese concentration.     

In vitro agonistic and antagonistic endocrine disrupting effects of organic extracts from waste water of different treatment processes

Effluents from wastewater treatment plant （WWTP） have been reported to have a broad spectrum of endocrine disrupting compounds （EDCs）. The majority of studies have focused on the occurrence of estrogenic activity, while ignoring nuclear hormone receptors （NRs） pathways. In the present study, a battery of in vitro yeast bioassays and a cell bioassay, including antagonistic and agonistic effects on estrogen receptor （ER）, androgen receptor （AR）, progesterone receptor （PR）, estrogen- related receptor （ERR） and aryl hydrocarbon receptor （AHR）, were conducted to evaluate the removal efficien- cies of EDCs by different treatment processes of a WWTP located in Beijing. Estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, anti- androgenic, anti-progesteronic, anti-ERR and the activa- tion of AHR activities were detected in samples from all treatment processes and the receiving water. The concen- tration of estrogenic contaminants with estradiol （E2） equivalent concentrations ranged from 0.82 x 10-9 to 3.54 x 10 9g Ee_EQ.L-1. The concentration of anti-estrogenic contaminants with 4-hydroxytamoxifen （4-OHT） equiva- lent concentrations ranged from 1.24 × 10-6 to 2.36 x 10-6 g 4-OHT-EQ.L-1. The concentration of anti-androgenic contaminants ranged from 2.21 x 10-s to 3.52 × 10-6g flutamide-EQ. L-1. The concentration of anti-progesteronic contaminants ranged from 3.15 x 10^-5 to 2.71 x 10^-4g RU486-EQ. L-1. The concentration of anti-ERR contami- nants ranged from 7.09 x 10-5 to 6.50 x 104 g 4-OHT-EQ × L^-10. The concentration of AHR activators ranged from 1.7 × 10-10 to 3.4 × 10^-10g TCDD-EQ-L-1. These processes including secondary clarifier, coagulation, as well as coal and sand filtration could eliminated 67.2% of estrogenic contaminants, 47.0% of anti-estrogenic contaminants, 98.3% of anti-androgenic contaminants, 88.4% of anti- progesteronic contaminants, 65.4% of anti-ERR contami- nants and 46.9% of AHR activators. WWTP effluents contain multiple receptor disruptors may have very complex adverse effects on exposed organisms.     

A new procedure combining GC-MS with accelerated solvent extraction for the analysis of phthalic acid esters in contaminated soils

An optimized procedure based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is developed for the analysis of six phthalic acid esters (PAEs), which are priority soil pollutants nominated by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Quantification of PAEs in soil employs ultrasonic extraction (UE) (USEPA 3550) and ASE (USEPA 3545), followed by clean up procedures involving three different chromatography columns and two combined elution methods. GC-MS conditions under selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode are described and quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) criteria with high accuracy and sensitivity for target analytes were achieved. Method reliability is assured with the use of an isotopically labeled PAE, di-n-butyl phthalate-d4 (DnBP-D4), as a surrogate, and benzyl benzoate (BB) as an internal standard, and with the analysis of certified reference materials (CRM). QA/QC for the developed procedure was tested in four PAE-spiked soils and one PAE-contaminated soil. The four spiked soils were originated from typical Chinese agricultural fields and the contaminated soil was obtained from an electronic waste dismantling area. Instrument detection limits (IDLs) for the six PAEs ranged 0.10–0.31 μg·L^-1 and method detection limits (MDLs) of the four spiked soils varied from a range of 20–70 μg·kg^-1 to a range of 90– 290 μg·kg^-1. Linearity of response between 20 μg·L^-1 and 2 mg·L^-1 was also established and the correlation coefficients (R) were all>0.998. Spiked soil matrix showed relative recovery rates between 75 and 120% for the six target compounds and about 93% for the surrogate substance. The developed procedure is anticipated to be highly applicable for field surveys of soil PAE pollution in China.     

Validation of polymer-based nano-iron oxide in further phosphorus removal from bioeffluent: laboratory and scaledup study

The efficient removal of phosphorous from water is an important but challenging task. In this study, we validated the applicability of a new commercially available nanocomposite adsorbent, i.e., a polymer-based hydrated ferric oxide nanocomposite (HFO-201), for the further removal of phosphorous from the bioeffluent discharged from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, and the operating parameters such as the flow rate, temperature and composition of the regenerants were optimized. Laboratory-scale results indicate that phosphorous in real bioeffluent can be effectively removed from 0.92 mg·L^-1 to<0.5 mg·L^-1 (or even<0.1 mg·L^-1 as desired) by the new adsorbent at a flow rate of 50 bed volume (BV) per hour and treatable volume of 3500–4000 BV per run. Phosphorous removal is independent of the ambient temperature in the range of 15°C–40°C. Moreover, the exhausted HFO-201 can be regenerated by a 2% NaOH+ 5% NaCl binary solution for repeated use without significant capacity loss. A scaled-up study further indicated that even though the initial total phosphorus (TP) was as high as 2 mg·L^-1, it could be reduced to<0.5 mg·L^-1, with a working capacity of 4.4–4.8 g·L^-1 HFO-201. In general, HFO-201 adsorption is a choice method for the efficient removal of phosphate from biotreated waste effluent.     

乌鲁木齐市米东区大气降水的化学特征及来源分析

为研究乌鲁木齐市米东区大气降水中的化学组分特征及来源,对2017-2019年降水中主要离子浓度及来源进行了分析.研究结果显示,米东区2017-2019年降水的雨量加权pH年均值为7.95,雨量加权平均电导率年均值为16.15 mS·m-1,雨量加权平均总离子浓度为72.75-95.89 μeq·L-1,年均浓度为81....     

低碳氮比废水好氧颗粒污泥系统稳定性及微生物种群多样性研究

低碳氮比(C/N)废水处理是含氮废水处理中的难题之一.本实验在C/N为4:1和2:1(COD和NH₄⁺-N浓度分别为400 mg·L^-1和100 mg·L^-1,400 mg·L^-1和200 mg·L^-1)条件下,考察好氧颗粒污泥系统对低碳氮比废水的处理效果、长期运行稳定性,研究C/N对好氧颗粒微生物结构变化的影响.研究结果表明,在C/N为4:1的废水中接种活性污泥培养好氧颗粒污泥,形成的颗粒沉降性能良好,MLSS为4.94 g·L^-1,SVI30为40 mL·g^-1,COD去除率90%以上,氨氮去除率接近100%.降低碳氮比,即C/N为2:1后,好氧颗粒的物理及硝化性能无明显变化,MLSS为11.38 g·L^-1,SVI₃₀/SVI₅维持在1左右,COD去除率大于85%,氨氮去除率98%.碳氮比降低使颗粒微生物多样性减少,其中陶厄氏菌受影响较小,而硝化功能菌出现更替:噬氢菌、食酸菌、里德拜特氏菌消失,鞘氨醇单胞菌、束缚杆菌等成为优势菌种.实验表明,该低碳氮比条件下好氧颗粒污泥系统能够稳定运行,且具有优良的处理性能.     

固相萃取-液相色谱法测定食品废水中8种色素残留

建立了食品工业废水中8种合成色素残留的固相萃取-液相色谱测定方法.水样经固相萃取柱富集,氮吹浓缩定容后直接进样.采用C18色谱柱分离,以甲醇-乙酸铵(0.01mol·L^-1)溶液为流动相,进行梯度洗脱,最后利用二极管阵列检测器(DAD)进行可变波长分析,外标法定量.结果表明,8种合成色素在1.0—50mg·L^-1的浓度范围内线性良好,相关系数均大于0.999,定量限为1.6—2.4μg·L^-1.以实际废水样品为加标对象,分别考察了低、中、高三个浓度水平的加标回收率和精密度,平均加标回收率在82.3%—95.9%之间,精密度均小于5.45%.该方法准确可靠,灵敏度高,可用于食品工业废水中痕量色素残留的测定.     

Rapid method for on-site determination of phenolic contaminants in water using a disposable biosensor

A disposable biosensor was fabricated using single-walled carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles and tyrosinase (SWCNTs-AuNPs-Tyr) modified screen-printed electrodes. The prepared biosensor was applied to the rapid determination of phenolic contaminants within 15 minutes. The SWCNTs-AuNPs-Tyr bionanocomposite sensing layer was characterized with scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry methods. The characterization results revealed that SWCNTs could lead to a high loading of tyrosinase (Tyr) with the large surface area and the porous morphology, while AuNPs could retain the bioactivity of Tyr and enhance the sensitivity. The detection conditions, including working potential, pH of supporting electrolyte and the amount of Tyr were optimumed. As an example, the biosensor for catechol determination displayed a linear range of 8.0 × 10^-8 to 2.0 × 10^-5 mol·L^-1 with a detection limit of 4.5 × 10^-8 mol·L^-1 (S/N = 3). This method has a rapid response time within 10 s, and shows excellent repeatability and stability. Moreover, the resulting biosensor could be disposable, low-cost, reliable and easy to carry. This kind of new Tyr biosensor provides great potential for rapid, on-site and cost-effective analysis of phenolic contaminants in environmental water samples.     

Continuous biohydrogen production from diluted molasses in an anaerobic contact reactor

An anaerobic contact reactor (ACR) system comprising a continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with settler to decouple the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from solids retention time (SRT) was developed for fermentative hydrogen production from diluted molasses by mixed microbial cultures. The ACR was operated at various volumetric loading rates (VLRs) of 20–44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1 with constant HRT of 6 h under mesophilic conditions of 35°C. The SRT was maintained at about 46–50 h in the system. At the initial VLR of 20 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, the hydrogen production rate dropped from 22.6 to 1.58 L·d^-1 as the hydrogen was consumed by the hydrogentrophic methanogen. After increasing the VLR to 28 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1 and discharging the sludge for 6 consecutive times, the hydrogentrophic methanogens were eliminated, and the hydrogen content reached 36.4%. As the VLR was increased to 44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, the hydrogen production rate and hydrogen yield increased to 42.1 L·d^-1 and 1.40 mol H₂·molglucose-consumed^-1, respectively. The results showed that a stable ethanol-type fermentation that favored hydrogen production in the reactor was thus established with the sludge loading rate (SLR) of 2.0–2.5 kgCOD·kgMLVSS^-1·d^-1. It was found that the ethanol increased more than other liquid fermentation products, and the ethanol/acetic acid (mol/mol) ratio increased from 1.27 to 2.45 when the VLR increased from 28 to 44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, whereas the hydrogen composition decreased from 40.4% to 36.4%. The results suggested that the anaerobic contact reactor was a promising bioprocess for fermentative hydrogen production.     

Preparation of hapten-specific monoclonal antibody for cadmium and its ELISA application to aqueous samples

High-affinity and specific monoclonal antibodies against cadmium-ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) complex have been produced using the hybridoma technique. A hapten was synthesized and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV-Vis. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitative detection of cadmium in aqueous sample was developed. The monoclonal antibody with high level of binding affinity for Cd-IEDTA-BSA and high specificity for soluble Cd-EDTA complex showed less than 0.99% cross-reactivity with other 11 metals. The limit of detection was 0.10 μg·L^-1, and the effective linear range was 10^-1–10³ μg·L^-1. The intra- and inter-assay coefficient variations were 1.5%–6.3% and 3.2%–7.4%, respectively. The spike recovery in different water samples were between 98.5% and 110.3%. The detection limit of this assay was well below the allowable concentration of cadmium (3 μg·L^-1), and the working range was wider than that of other methods which showed the range of 2.19–86.38 and 0–10³ μg·L^-1. The competitive ELISA established in this paper was sensitive and accurate in the screening of cadmium in aqueous samples. The results will lay a solid foundation for construction of an immunoassay kit for cadmium.     

Haloacetic acids in swimming pool and spa water in the United States and China

The objective of this study is to investigate the occurrence of haloacetic acids （HAAs）, a group of disinfection byproducts, in swimming pool and spa water. The samples were collected from six indoor pools, six outdoor pools and three spas in Pennsylvania, the United States, and from five outdoor pools and nine indoor pools in Beijing, China. Five HAAs （HAA5）, including monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid, and dibromoacetic acid were analyzed. Total chlorine, pH and total organic carbon concentration were analyzed as well. Results indicated that the levels of HAA5 in swimming pools and spas in the United States ranged from 70 to 3980μg·L^-1, with an arithmetic average at 1440μg·L^-1 and a median level at 1150μg·L^-1. These levels are much higher than the levels reported in chlorinated drinking water and are likely due to organic matters released from swimmers＇ bodies. The levels of HAA5 in swimming pools in China ranged from 13 to 332μg·L^-1, with an arithmetic average at 117μg·L^-1 and a median level at 114μg·L^-1. The lower HAA levels in swimming pools in China were due to the lower chlorine residuals. Results from this study can help water professionals to better understand the formation and stability of HAAs in chlorinated water and assess risks associated with exposures to HAAs in swimming pools and spas.