Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID HI-2025-Marron

Identification of disinfection byproduct precursor compounds in JP-5 jet fuel

Institute: Hawaii
Year Established: 2025 Start Date: 2026-01-01 End Date: 2026-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $44,983 Total Non-Federal Funds: $44,997

Principal Investigators: Emily Marron

Project Summary: During drinking water treatment, chlorine (i.e., bleach) is often added as a disinfectant to remove any harmful pathogens (e.g., bacteria or viruses) in water. Chlorine can react with naturally-occurring organic material in water to form unintended chemical byproducts, which are referred to as disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Elevated levels of DBPs can increase the overall toxicity of water, and many of the individual chemical compounds are regulated at state and federal levels in treated drinking water. Recent laboratory studies have demonstrated that the presence of fuel, such as JP-5 jet fuel, in water can increase the amount of DBPs upon chlorination. In this study, we aim to (1) identify chemical constituents in JP-5 that might be responsible for the observed increase in DBPs during chlorination, (2) better identify the exact chemical structures of the most concerning DBPs, and (3) understand how the formation of certain DBPs might cause the most risk for consumers at the tap.