Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2014AR349B

Assessing total nitrosamine formation and speciation in drinking water systems

Institute: Arkansas
Year Established: 2014 Start Date: 2014-03-01 End Date: 2015-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $24,600 Total Non-Federal Funds: $49,215

Principal Investigators: Julian Fairey, Wen Zhang

Project Summary: The objective of the proposed research is to assess total nitrosamine formation and speciation in a suite of drinking water samples and determine the fraction of nitrosamines formed present in the EPA 521 standard mixture. Limited evidence suggests wastewater effluents and algal blooms are primary precursors of nitrosamines, although other potential precursors in DWTPs include biofilms on biologically active filtration media (e.g., activated carbon, anthracite) and cationic polymer (e.g., polyDADMAC added as a coagulant aid). Total nitrosamines (TONO) will be measured on a diverse group of drinking water sources, wastewater effluents, biofilms, and coagulant aids under conditions relevant to drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Northwest Arkansas. The principal precursors of nitrosamines will be assessed as will the fraction of total nitrosamines formed that are present in the EPA 521 standard mixture.