Mixed chlorine/chloramines in disinfected water and drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs): A critical review

Renjie Pan; Tian-Yang Zhang; Huan He; Zheng-Xiong Zheng; Zheng-Yu Dong; Heng-Xuan Zhao; Meng-Yuan Xu; Zhen-Ning Luo; Chen-Yan Hu; Yu-Lin Tang; Mohamed Gamal El-Din; Bin Xu

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2023.120736

Mixed chlorine/chloramines in disinfected water and drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs): A critical review

Water Res. 2023 Oct 15:247:120736. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120736. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Urban Water Supply, Water Saving and Water Environment Governance in the Yangtze River Delta of Ministry of Water Resources, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Urban Water Supply, Water Saving and Water Environment Governance in the Yangtze River Delta of Ministry of Water Resources, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China.
⁴ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Urban Water Supply, Water Saving and Water Environment Governance in the Yangtze River Delta of Ministry of Water Resources, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39491998
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120736

Abstract

Mixed chlorine/chloramines are commonly occurring in real drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) but often overlooked. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the occurrences, characteristics, analysis methods, and control strategies of mixed chlorine/chloramines in DWDSs. The characteristics of mixed chlorine/chloramine species are summarized for treated water in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), secondary disinfection facilities, and DWDSs where different disinfectants could be blended. The key to differentiating and quantifying mixed chlorine/chloramine species is to separate organic chloramines (OCs) from di/tri-chloramines and overcome certain interferences. The complex interactions between water matrixes and chlorine/chloramine species could accelerate pipeline corrosions, enhance emerging disinfection by-products risks, lead to off-flavors in drinking water, and induce bio-instability issues (such as nitrification, microorganism regrowth, and promotion of horizontal gene-transfers). Three promising strategies for alleviating mixed chlorine/chloramine species are recommended, which include (i) removing precursors intensively and reconditioning the treated water, (ii) combining UV irradiation to eliminate undesired chlorine/chloramines species, and (iii) strengthening monitoring, operation, and maintenance management of DWDSs. Finally, the challenges for gaining insights into the mechanisms of mixed chlorine/chloramine species conversion are discussed and promising research directions are proposed.

Keywords: Detection methods; Disinfection by products (DBPs); Drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs); Mixed chlorine/chloramines; Organic chloramines (OCs); UV irradiation.

Publication types

Review