Formation control of bromate and trihalomethanes during ozonation of bromide-containing water with chemical addition: Hydrogen peroxide or ammonia?

To ensure the safety of drinking water, ozone (O₃) has been extensively applied in drinking water treatment plants to further remove natural organic matter (NOM). However, the surface water and groundwater near the coastal areas often contain high concentrations of bromide ion (Br^?). Considering the risk of bromate (BrO₃^?) formation in ozonation of the sand-filtered water, the inhibitory efficiencies of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and ammonia (NH₃) on BrO₃^? formation during ozonation process were compared. The addition of H₂O₂ effectively inhibited BrO₃^? formation at an initial Br^? concentration amended to 350 µg/L. The inhibition efficiencies reached 59.6 and 100% when the mass ratio of H₂O₂/O₃ was 0.25 and > 0.5, respectively. The UV₂₅₄ and total organic carbon (TOC) also decreased after adding H₂O₂, while the formation potential of trihalomethanes (THMsFP) increased especially in subsequent chlorination process at a low dose of H₂O₂. To control the formation of both BrO₃^? and THMs, a relatively large dose of O₃ and a high ratio of H₂O₂/O₃were generally needed. NH₃ addition inhibited BrO₃^? formation when the background ammonia nitrogen (NH₃N) concentration was low. There was no significant correlation between BrO₃^? inhibition efficiency and NH₃ dose, and a small amount of NH₃N (0.2 mg/L) could obviously inhibit BrO₃^? formation. The oxidation of NOM seemed unaffected by NH₃ addition, and the structure of NOM reflected by synchronous fluorescence (SF) scanning remained almost unchanged before and after adding NH₃. Considering the formation of BrO₃^? and THMs, the optimal dose of NH₃ was suggested to be 0.5 mg/L.