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Dissolved organic matter released from paper trash in water during ultraviolet irradiation: impacts on trihalomethane formation
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Researchers found that UV-irradiated paper trash releases dissolved organic matter into water that acts as a precursor to trihalomethane formation during chlorine disinfection, raising concerns about paper litter as an underappreciated source of toxic disinfection byproducts in water treatment.
When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, paper trash could release dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor in water. This study was undertaken to assess the regulated DBPs, trihalomethanes-4 (THM4) generation potential, and estimated cytotoxicity of paper trash soaked in water during UV radiation. The UV irradiation was carried out at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours. The released organic material was determined using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) adsorption at wavelengths ranging from 200 to 700 nm. Chlorination was carried out for 24 hours to determine THM4 formation potentials. According to the research findings, the longer the radiation period, the more THM4 species are formed in plain paper samples. On the other hand, the production of trichloromethane (TCM) on paper samples containing writing decreased as the UV radiation period increased. THM4 levels reached 103.12 and 150.57 µg/L for plain and writing paper samples, respectively. UV absorbance at 272 nm (A272) shows a 92% association with THM4 production, making it suitable as an initial characterization approach. Paper trash pollution in water could form carcinogenic DBPs, THM4, if used as a water source in a water treatment plant using chlorine disinfection.
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