Occurrence of disinfectant by‐products in desalinated drinking water in Egypt

In: Water and environment journal, Band 34, Heft 4, S. 729-736

Abstract

AbstractSeawater desalination is used to satisfy water needs in many countries worldwide. Disinfection is used during desalination process to avoid microbiological regrowth and biofouling. The disinfectant reacts with natural organic matter and inorganic compounds (e.g. Fe2+, Mn2+, S2−, bromide, iodide, etc.) leading to the formation of disinfection by‐products (DBPs) in desalinated water. The DBPs represent a great threat to human health due to their possible cancer and non‐cancer risks. In this work, the occurrence of DBPs in desalinated water and total organic carbon (TOC), and total organic halogen (TOX) levels were monitored. Since the water characteristics play a key role in determining the type and quantity of generated DBPs, the inorganic parameters were measured as well. The measured values of selected regulated DBPs compounds, trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were found far below the regulatory limits of Egypt, USEPA and WHO.