Removal of selected ozonation by-products in pilot scale drinking water biofilters: compound interactions and mass transfer considerations (2004)

Research Article| June 01 2004 Removal of selected ozonation by-products in pilot scale drinking water biofilters: compound interactions and mass transfer considerations S. D. J. Booth; S. D. J. Booth 1Carollo Engineers, 12592 West Explorer Drive—Suite #200, Boise, Idaho 83713, USA Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar P. M. Huck; P. M. Huck 2University of Waterloo, NSERC Chair in Water Treatment, Department of Civil Engineering, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada E-mail: pm2huck@uwaterloo.ca; http://www.civil.uwaterloo.ca/watertreatment Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar S. Ndiongue; S. Ndiongue 2University of Waterloo, NSERC Chair in Water Treatment, Department of Civil Engineering, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar R. M. Slawson; R. M. Slawson 3Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar B. J. Butler B. J. Butler 4University of Waterloo, Department of Biology, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 Canada Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua (2004) 53 (4): 207–225. https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2004.0018 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Permissions Search Site Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsThis Journal Search Advanced Search Citation S. D. J. Booth, P. M. Huck, S. Ndiongue, R. M. Slawson, B. J. Butler; Removal of selected ozonation by-products in pilot scale drinking water biofilters: compound interactions and mass transfer considerations. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 1 June 2004; 53 (4): 207–225. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2004.0018 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Biofilters are finding increasing use in drinking water treatment. Among the substances they remove are ozonation by-products such as low molecular weight aldehydes and carboxylic acids. Because a number of these compounds also participate in or are produced by major bacterial metabolic pathways, their behaviour in biofilters may be complex. This pilot scale study investigated biodegradation relationships between methylglyoxal and pyruvate. A second objective was to determine the impact of mass transfer on removals.The formation of pyruvate was observed when methylglyoxal was the sole easily biodegradable compound fed in the filter influent. The removal rates of formaldehyde and methylglyoxal were found to be comparable when each was the sole easily biodegradable compound fed. When fed alone, complete removals of methylglyoxal were obtained under steady-state conditions. When fed alone, the removal rate of pyruvate was more than twice than that of either formaldehyde or methylglyoxal. The removal rate of pyruvate was reduced by more than 50% when it was fed together with methylglyoxal. The reduced rate was probably due both to competition and to the formation of pyruvate from methylglyoxal. Backwashing was shown to have essentially no effect on removals of the compounds investigated.The mass transfer investigations showed that neither external nor internal mass transfer was limiting. Therefore removals were governed by biodegradation rates. The lack of importance of mass transfer is significant because it simplifies modelling for the removal of easily biodegradable substances in drinking water biofilters. biodegradation, biofiltration, drinking water, easily biodegradable substances, mass transfer, ozonation by-products This content is only available as a PDF. © IWA Publishing 2004 You do not currently have access to this content.