Effects of reductive inorganics and NOM on the formation of chlorite in the chlorine dioxide disinfection of drinking water

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) disinfection usually does not produce halogenated disinfection by-products, but the formation of the inorganic by-product chlorite (ClO₂^–) is a serious consideration. In this study, the ClO₂^– formation rule in the ClO₂ disinfection of drinking water was investigated in the presence of three representative reductive inorganics and four natural organic matters (NOMs), respectively. Fe²⁺ and S^2– mainly reduced ClO₂ to ClO₂^– at low concentrations. When ClO₂ was consumed, the ClO₂^– would be further reduced by Fe²⁺ and S^2–, leading to the decrease of ClO₂^–. The reaction efficiency of Mn²⁺ with ClO₂ was lower than that of Fe²⁺ and S^2–. It might be the case that MnO₂ generated by the reaction between Mn²⁺ and ClO₂ had adsorption and catalytic oxidation on Mn²⁺. However, Mn²⁺ would not reduce ClO₂^–. Among the four NOMs, humic acid and fulvic acid reacted with ClO₂ actively, followed by bovine serum albumin, while sodium alginate had almost no reaction with ClO₂. The maximum ClO₂^– yields of reductive inorganics (70%) was higher than that of NOM (around 60%). The lower the concentration of reductive substances, the more ClO₂^– could be produced by per unit concentration of reductive substances. The results of the actual water samples showed that both reductive inorganics and NOM played an important role in the formation of ClO₂^– in disinfection.     

Combined zero valent iron and hydrogen peroxide conditioning significantly enhances the dewaterability of anaerobic digestate

The importance of enhancing sludge dewaterability is increasing due to the considerable impact of excess sludge volume on disposal costs and on overall sludge management. This study presents an innovative approach to enhance dewaterability of anaerobic digestate(AD) harvested from a wastewater treatment plant. The combination of zero valent iron(ZVI, 0–4.0 g/g total solids(TS)) and hydrogen peroxide(HP, 0–90 mg/g TS) under pH 3.0 significantly enhanced the AD dewaterability. The largest enhancement of AD dewaterability was achieved at 18 mg HP/g TS and 2.0 g ZVI/g TS, with the capillary suction time reduced by up to 90%. Economic analysis suggested that the proposed HP and ZVI treatment has more economic benefits in comparison with the classical Fenton reaction process. The destruction of extracellular polymeric substances and cells as well as the decrease of particle size were supposed to contribute to the enhanced AD dewaterability by HP + ZVI conditioning.     

Simultaneous removal of CO2, NOx and SOx using single stage absorption column

Capturing flue gases often require multiple stages of scrubbing, increasing the capital and operating costs. So far, no attempt has been made to study the absorption characteristics of all the three gases (NO, SO₂ and CO₂) in a single stage absorption unit at alkaline pH conditions. We have attempted to capture all the three gases with a single wet scrubbing column. The absorption of all three gases with sodium carbonate solution promoted with oxidizers was investigated in a tall absorption column. The absorbance was found to be 100% for CO₂, 30% for NO and 95% for SO₂ respectively. The capture efficiency of sodium carbonate solution was increased by 40% for CO₂ loading, with the addition of oxidizer. Absorption kinetics and reaction pathways of all the three gases were discussed individually in detail.     

Addition of hydrogen peroxide for the simultaneous control of bromate and odor during advanced drinking water treatment using ozone

Complete removal of the characteristic septic/swampy odor from Huangpu River source water could only be achieved under an ozone dose as high as 4.0 mg/L in an ozone-biological activated carbon （O3- BAC） process, which would lead to the production of high concentrations of carcinogenic bromate due to the high bromide content. This study investigated the possibility of simultaneous control of bromate and the septic/swampy odor by adding H2O2 prior to the O3-BAC process for the treatment of Huangpu River water. H2O2 addition could reduce the bromate concentration effectively at an H2O2/O3 （g/g） ratio of 0.5 or higher. At the same time, the septic/swampy odor removal was enhanced by the addition of H2O2, although optimization of the H2O2/O3 ratio was required for each ozone dose. At an ozone dose of 2.0 mg/L, the odor was removed completely at an H2O2/O3 ratio of 0.5. The results indicated that H2O2 application at a suitable dose could enhance the removal of the septic/swampy odor while suppressing the formation of bromate during ozonation of Huangpu River source water.