Factors controlling N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation from dissolved organic matter

The formation of cancinogenic nitrosamines, esp. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in water and wastewater treatment plants has drawn much attention in recent years. Dissolved organic matter from the transported Luan River water as water source of Tianjin was fractionated with different XAD resins and a series of ultra-filtration membranes with molecular weight (MW) cut-offs of 5k Da, 3k Da, and 1k Da, respectively. The NDMA yields from the raw water and each fraction were measured to investigate their role in NDMAyield. Results indicated that the hydrophilic fraction had a higher NDMA yield than those of hydrophobic fraction and transphilic fraction. The fraction with MW below 1k Da had a higher NDMAyield than that with larger MW. NDMA formation increased as the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) ratio decreased, which indicated that DON might serve as the real important precursor for NDMA. The correlation between NDMA yield and specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA₂₅₄) suggested that the latter might not represent the specific precursors for NDMA in the water. Besides the water quality, the influences of pH, disinfectant dosage, and disinfection contact time on the formation of NDMA were also examined. These results will help water treatment plants establish measures to control this harmful disinfection by-product.