Engineered biofiltration for the removal of disinfection by-product precursors and genotoxicity

McKie, Michael J.; Taylor-Edmonds, Liz; Andrews, Susan A.; Andrews, Robert C.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2015.05.034

Cited by 66 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…A two-tailed paired test (95% significance level) was used to compare the performance of two different treatment, while a single-tailed test (95% significance level) was used to compare if a particular treatment is able to remove the analyte of interest from the influent/raw water as described by McKie et al (2015). Reported p-values indicate the level at which the difference between two treatments was statistically significant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biofiltration implementation and operation in the drinking water industry has begun shifting from a passive to an active approach that targets multiple water quality objectives including organic and inorganic removal, while maintaining acceptable hydraulic capabilities (Lauderdale et al, 2012). While several studies have examined the impact of enhancement strategies, including nutrient enrichment, peroxide addition, and in-line coagulation on biofiltration performance (Azzeh et al, 2015;Lauderdale et al, 2012;McKie et al, 2015), the impact of media type is also a critical design consideration.…”

Section: Research Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative assessment of ceramic media for drinking water biofiltration

Sharma

Taylor-Edmonds

2018

Water Research

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Media type is a critical design consideration when implementing biofiltration for drinking water treatment. Granular activated carbon (GAC) has been shown to provide superior performance when compared to a wide range of media types, largely due to its higher surface area. Engineered ceramic media is an attractive alternative to GAC as it has a similar surface area but at a lower cost. This pilot-scale biofiltration study compared the performance of GAC, anthracite and two different effective sizes of ceramic (CER) media (1.0 mm and 1.2 mm), in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), head loss, turbidity, and disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP). Biological acclimation was monitored using adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) measurements; biomass was further examined using laccase and esterase enzyme activity assays. When compared to other media types examined, biological GAC had higher (p > 0.05) removals of DOC (9.8 ± 3.8%), trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP, 26.3 ± 10.2%), and haloacetic acid formation potential (HAAFP, 27.2 ± 14.0%). CER media required 6-7 months to biologically acclimate, while filters containing GAC and anthracite were biologically active (>100 ng of ATP/g media) following 30-45 days of operation. Once acclimated, ATP values of 243 and 208 ng/g attained for CER 1.0 and 1.2, respectively, were statistically comparable to GAC (244 ng/g) and higher than anthracite (110 ng/g), however this did not translate into greater organics removal. Esterase and laccase enzyme kinetics were highest for GAC, while CER was shown to have greater biodegradation potential than anthracite. The four media types attained similar turbidity reduction (p > 0.05), however ceramic media filters were observed to have run times which were 1.5-2.3 times longer when compared to anthracite, which could represent potential cost savings in terms of energy for pumping and backwash requirements. Overall, ceramic media was shown to be a potential alternative to anthracite when considering biofiltration, especially during cold water conditions (T < 10 °C).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative assessment of ceramic media for drinking water biofiltration

Sharma

Taylor-Edmonds

2018

Water Research

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“…No differences in HAA5 concentrations were observed at the beginning of the sampling period; however, after September the HAA5 concentrations in the biofilters were consistently lower than the control filter. The studies by McKie et al (2015) and Stoddart and Gagnon (2015) showed similar results, where they found that biofiltration lowered THMs and HAAs in the finished water without necessarily improving TOC or DOC removal. HAA5 concentrations were well below the MCL of 60 μg/L, but TTHM concentrations were near or above the MCL of 80 μg/L.…”

Section: Disinfection Byproductsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Several studies have concluded that nutrient supplementation could be beneficial in optimizing the performance of biofilters (Granger, Stoddart, & Gagnon, 2014;Lauderdale et al, 2012), whereas others have found no significant benefit (Azzeh, Taylor-Edmonds, & Andrews, 2015;McKie et al, 2015;Pharand, Van Dyke, Anderson, Yohannes, & Huck, 2015). These contradictory results emphasize that more information is needed to better understand the potential benefits of nutrient augmentation.…”

Section: Impact Of Nutrients On Contaminant Removal and Microbial Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a side‐by‐side, full‐scale conversion to biological filtration

Bassett¹,

Nieminski

Stevens

2018

AWWA Water Science

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate water quality and operational trends of a side‐by‐side, full‐scale biofiltration conversion. Four filters at a water treatment plant, treating low turbidity and low total organic carbon water, were monitored for one year. One filter was a prechlorinated control, and the other three were biofilters. One was a standard biofilter, one had chlorinated backwash, and the third was supplemented with nutrients. Slightly higher concentrations of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (175–2,300 ng ATP/cm3) and extracellular polymeric substances (0.00–0.08 mg glucose/g total solids) were found in the biofilters compared with the control. Total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acid were lower in the biofilters relative to the control (60 and 30%, respectively). Conversion to biological filtration resulted in slightly higher (0.019 ntu) and more variable (0.013 ntu) effluent turbidity, but filter run volumes were unaffected. At the conclusion of the study, a decision was made to convert all the filters in the plant to biofilters.

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“…The limited reduction in TTHM concentration for February and the increase in total HAA concentration for March indicate seasonality in DBP production. More advanced characterization of NOM using high performance size exclusion chromatography with combined resin fractionation (e.g., Kent et al 2014) and/or organic carbon detection (e.g., McKie et al 2015) is required to better understand seasonal fluctuation and chlorine reactivity of precursor material at this particular site.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Full‐Scale Prechlorine Removal: Impact on Filter Performance and Water Quality

Stoddart

Gagnon

2015

Journal AWWA

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Conversion from direct filtration to biofiltration in a full‐scale drinking water treatment plant in Halifax, N.S., was assessed in terms of filter performance (e.g., turbidity, head loss) and water quality during a 48‐month project. Conversion was achieved by removing prechlorination, with the overall objective of reducing disinfection by‐product formation. As a result of prechlorine removal, it was hypothesized that the anthracite‐sand filters would provide both particle removal and biological treatment in a single process step. When prechlorine was removed, adenosine triphosphate concentrations on the filter media increased from ∼50 to ∼200–500 ng/cm3. Filter performance analysis revealed that conversion increased the filter effluent turbidity and reduced the filter head loss accumulation rate. Unit filter run volumes and filter run times were maintained. Water quality monitoring indicated that finished water total disinfection by‐products were reduced by ∼10–20 μg/L for trihalomethanes and ∼6–10 μg/L for haloacetic acids.

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Engineered biofiltration for the removal of disinfection by-product precursors and genotoxicity

Cited by 66 publications

References 28 publications

Comparative assessment of ceramic media for drinking water biofiltration

Comparative assessment of ceramic media for drinking water biofiltration

Evaluation of a side‐by‐side, full‐scale conversion to biological filtration

Full‐Scale Prechlorine Removal: Impact on Filter Performance and Water Quality

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