Measures and tools for Disinfection by-Products (DPBs) minimisation strategies

Tender description

The aim of this project is to investigate a range of measures that may be of value in disinfection by-product (DBP) minimisation strategies. Current regulation1 requires water companies to minimise DBP formation without prejudicing disinfection. Over 600 DBPs have been identified, most of these at trace quantities, and it would not be rational to attempt to monitor for all of these. Guidance2 has been given on the range of compounds likely to be formed under different treatment regimes and some of the principal steps to minimise formation. The Chief Inspector’s Report3 has also highlighted HAAs and THMs as the two most abundant group of DBPs and cites a World Health organisation comment that they can serve as indicators for monitoring DBP performance overall. As an alternative to direct monitoring of DBPs a number of other gross water quality measures may be of value in minimisation strategies. These include: UV absorbance; total and dissolved organic carbon (TOC and DOC); specific UV absorbance (SUVA); total and absorbable organic halide (TOX and AOX); differential UV absorbance; and fluorescence techniques, including measurement of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) and excitation emission matrices (EEM). Some of these may be monitored on line and may form part of the routine operational monitoring, for example, for coagulation control. The purpose of this study is to understand whether these and other measures are of value in minimisation DBPs.