Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2018NY244B

Balancing cyanotoxin removal and N-nitrosamine formation control during ozonation of harmful algal bloom-impacted source waters

Institute: New York
Year Established: 2018 Start Date: 2018-03-01 End Date: 2019-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $14,968 Total Non-Federal Funds: $29,936

Principal Investigators: Teng Zeng

Project Summary: Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become a growing public health concern in the U.S. because HABs not only produce cyanotoxins but also release organic precursor materials for carcinogenic disinfection byproducts such as N-nitrosamines. Ozone is a powerful oxidant that can effectively detoxify cyanotoxins. However, no study has systematically evaluated the tradeoffs between cyanotoxin destruction and N-nitrosamine precursor release during ozone treatment (i.e., ozonation) of HAB-impacted source waters. The overarching goal of this project is to quantitatively assess the impacts of ozonation on the removal of cyanotoxins and release of N-nitrosamine precursors in both laboratory cyanobacterial cultures and field samples collected from HAB-impacted lakes in New York. Knowledge gained from this project will facilitate decision-making by municipalities and utilities regarding upgrade of the existing drinking water treatment with ozonation to protect the public from both immediate and long-term risks associated HABs.