Trihalomethane reduction through air stripping
Abstract
The control of disinfection byproducts in drinking water has become increasingly important in recent years, especially the group that includes the trihalomethanes (THMs). Most of the control efforts have been directed toward preventing their formation, but this project focused on removing them after they are formed. Because trihalomethanes are extremely volatile, it was believed that air stripping would be a feasible method for reducing their concentration in treated drinking water. This study investigated the cost effectiveness of using an induced draft-stripping column to remove some of the trihalomethanes from the treated water. The results showed that air stripping using an induced draft packed column is indeed a highly effective method for removing THMs from water. At air-to-water ratios of 60 or greater, the percent removal of total trihalomethanes generally exceeded 90%. Chloroform was the easiest THM to remove while bromoform was the most difficult. The operating cost was calculated to range from 0.37 to 1.1 cents per thousand gallons for the best-case and worst-case scenarios, respectively. When the amortized capital costs are added in, the total costs range from 0.92 cents per thousand gallons to 4.6 cents per thousand gallons for the best and worst-case scenarios, respectively. The realistic total cost is believed to lie between the two extremes and is probably closer to the 0.92 best-case value.
Subject Area
Environmental engineering|Civil engineering|Chemical engineering
Recommended Citation
Zamarron, Aide de los Santos, "Trihalomethane reduction through air stripping" (2005). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1425897.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1425897