Characterization of dissolved organic matter as N-nitrosamine precursors based on hydrophobicity, molecular weight and fluorescence

It is very important to identify the dominant precursors for N-nitrosamine formation from bulk organic matter, to enhance the understanding of N-nitrosamine formation pathways in water treatment plants and allow the development of practical treatment technologies. In this study, dissolved organic matter (DOM) from two source waters was fractionated with XAD resins and ultra-filtration membranes. The N-nitrosamine formation potential (FP) (ng of N-nitrosamines formed per mg of dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) from raw water and each fraction were measured and correlated with the fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM), molecular weight (MW) and other assays. The results showed that the hydrophilic fraction had N-nitrosamine FP 1.3 to 3.5 times higher than the hydrophobic fraction from both source waters. The DOM fraction with low MW was the dominant fraction in these two source waters and contributed more precursors for N-nitrosamine formation than the larger MW fraction. The EEM spectra indicated there were notable amounts of soluble microbial products (SMPs) and aromatic proteins in the two studied rivers, which probably originated from wastewater discharge. The SMPs tended to be more closely correlated with N-nitrosodimethylamine formation potential than the other DOM components. Higher N-nitrosamine FP were also related to fractions with lower DOC/DON ratios and lower SUVA₂₅₄ values.