Natural organic matter and ionic strength (CaCl₂) affect transport, retention and remobilization of silica encapsulated DNA colloids (DNAcol) in saturated sand columns

In the terrestrial environment, interactions between natural organic matter (NOM) and colloids can lead to the formation of an environmental corona around colloids, influencing their transport behaviour and, ultimately, their ecotoxicity. We used a synthetically designed colloid tagged with DNA (DNAcol) as a surrogate for natural colloids and...

Combined effects of photoaging and natural organic matter on the colloidal stability of nanoplastics in aquatic environments

The transport and fate of nanoplastics (NPs) in aquatic environments are closely associated with their colloidal stability, which is affected by aging and natural organic matter (NOM) adsorption. This study systematically investigated the combined effects of photoaging and NOM (e.g. humic acids, HA; and a model protein, bovine serum albumin, BSA...

Elucidating the removal of organic micropollutants on biological ion exchange resins

Biological ion exchange (BIEX) refers to operating ion exchange (IX) filters with infrequent regeneration to favor the microbial growth on resin surface and thereby contribute to the removal of organic matter through biodegradation. However, the extent of biodegradation on BIEX resins is still debatable due to the difficulty in discriminating...

Characterization of natural organic matter in South African drinking water treatment plants: Towards integrating ceramic membrane filtration

This work presents the first comprehensive investigation of natural organic matter (NOM) fraction removal using ceramic membranes in South Africa. The rate of removal of bulk NOM (measured as UV₂₅₄ and DOC % removal), the biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) fraction, polarity-based fractions, and fluorescent dissolved...

Monitoring the characteristics and removal of natural organic matter fractions in selected south african water treatment plants

This study used spectroscopic methods to investigate the fate and dynamics of natural organic matter (NOM) as it traverses the treatment train at three water treatment plants (WTPs) in South Africa. The character, quantity, and removability of NOM at specific treatment stages was investigated by measuring changes in dissolved organic carbon ...

Projecting competition between 2-methylisoborneol and natural organic matter in adsorption onto activated carbon from ozonated source waters

Though the ozone-activated carbon process has been widely applied for drinking water purification, little is known about how ozone-modified natural organic matter (NOM) competes with micropollutants in activated carbon adsorption. In this study, three natural waters and one synthetic water (standard humics solution) with highly heterogeneous...

Investigating the fate of natural organic matter at a drinking water treatment plant in south africa using optical spectroscopy and chemometric analysis

The removal dynamics of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) and natural organic matter (NOM) polarity fractions at a water treatment plant (WTP) in South Africa was studied using UV-Vis absorbance, fluorescence excitation-emission matrix, and two-dimensional synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS). This study gave insights into...

The properties and removal efficacies of natural organic matter fractions by South African drinking water treatment plants

This study presents an investigation on the fate of natural organic matter (NOM) and its dynamics throughout the treatment train at various drinking water treatment plants (WTP) in South Africa. The characteristics, concentration and removal efficiencies of NOM at various treatment stages on the basis of dissolved organic carbon, UV...

Fungal removal of humic acids from treated wastewater: Potentials for a continuous flow non-sterile bioreactor

In order to address the ambiguities and knowledge gaps in the HA removal by WRF, mechanisms of removal were explored in chapter 2. It was shown that the mechanisms of HA removal by WRF involves the degradation of HA to smaller molecules, conversion to FA and also biosorption of HA by fungal mycelia. Furthermore, the ability of laccase to...

Characterizing natural organic matter in drinking water treatment processes and trains

Natural organic matter (NOM) generally influences water treatment processes such as coagulation, oxidation, adsorption, and membrane filtration. NOM contributes colour, taste and odour in drinking water, fouls membranes, serves as a precursor for disinfection by-products, increases the exhaustion and usage rate of activated carbon and may...

Integrated modeling of ozonation for optimization of drinking water treatment

Drinking water treatment plants automation becomes more sophisticated, more on-line monitoring systems become available and integration of modeling environments with control systems becomes easier. This gives possibilities for model-based optimization. In operation of drinking water treatment plants, the processes are usually optimized...