Pretreatment of algae-laden and manganese-containing waters by oxidation-assisted coagulation: Effects of oxidation on algal cell viability and manganese precipitation

Moderate oxidation of algae-laden water: Principals and challenges

The occurrence of seasonal algae blooms represents a huge dilemma for water resource management and has garnered widespread attention. Therefore, finding methods to control algae pollution and improve water quality is urgently needed. Moderate oxidation has emerged as a feasible way of algae-laden water treatment and is an economical and prospective strategy for controlling algae and endogenous and exogenous pollutants. Despite this, a comprehensive understanding of algae-laden water treatment by moderate oxidation, particularly principles and summary of advanced strategies, as well as challenges in moderate oxidation application, is still lacking. This review outlines the properties and characterization of algae-laden water, which serve as a prerequisite for assessing the treatment efficiency of moderate oxidation. Biomass, cell viability, and organic matter are key components to assessing moderate oxidation performance. More importantly, the recent advancements in employing moderate oxidation as a treatment or pretreatment procedure were examined, and the suitability of different techniques was evaluated. Generally, moderate oxidation is more promising for improving the solid-liquid separation process by the reduction of cell surface charge (stability) and removal/degradation of the soluble algae secretions. Furthermore, this review presents an outlook on future research directions aimed at overcoming the challenges encountered by existing moderate oxidation technologies. This comprehensive examination aims to provide new and valuable insights into the moderate oxidation process.

Is monochloramine pre-oxidation a viable strategy for enhancing the treatment efficiency of algae-laden water with conventional drinking water treatment process?

Algal blooms worldwide pose many challenges to drinking water production. Pre-oxidation with NaClO, KMnO4, or ozone is commonly used to enhance algal removal in conventional drinking water treatment processes. However, these currently utilized oxidation methods often result in significant algal cell lysis or impede the operation of the subsequent units. Higher algal removal with pre-chlorination in algal solutions prepared with natural water, compared to those prepared with ultrapure water, has been observed. In the present studies, preliminary findings indicate that ammonium in natural water alters chlorine species to NH2Cl, leading to improved treatment efficiency. NH2Cl with 1.5-3.0 mg∙L-1 as Cl2 with an oxidation time of 3-7 h significantly enhancing algal removal by coagulation. The selective oxidation of surface-absorbed organic matter (S-AOM) by NH2Cl, followed by the subsequent peeling off of this material from the algal surface, leading to an increase in zeta potential from -20.2 mV to -3.8 mV, constitutes the primary mechanism of enhanced algal removal through coagulation. These peeled S-AOM retained their large molecular weight and acted as polymer aids. Compared with NaClO and KMnO4, NH2Cl displays the best performance in improving algal removal, avoiding cell lysis, and decreasing the potential for nitrogenous disinfection byproducts formation under the reaction conditions used in this study. Notably, in major Chinese cities, water purification plants commonly rely on suburban lakes or reservoirs as water sources, necessitating the transportation of raw water over long distances for times up to several hours. These conditions favor the implementation of NH2Cl pre-oxidation. The collective results indicate the potential of NH2Cl oxidation as a viable pretreatment strategy for algal contamination during water treatment processes.

Comparison of four pre-oxidants coupled powdered activated carbon adsorption for odor compounds and algae removal: Kinetics, process optimization, and formation of disinfection byproducts

Pre-oxidation and powdered activate carbon (PAC) are usually used to remove algae and odorants in drinking waterworks. However, the influence of interaction between oxidants and PAC on the treatment performance are scarcely known. This study systematically investigated the combination schemes of four oxidants (KMnO4, NaClO, ClO2, and O3) and PAC on the inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa cells and removal of four frequently detected odorants in raw water (diethyl disulfide (DEDS), 2,2'-oxybis(1chloropropane) (DCIP), 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and geosmin (GSM)). O3 showed highest pseudo-first-order removal rate for all four compounds and NaClO exhibited highest inactivation rates for the cell viability and Chlorophyll a (Chl-a). The Freundlich model fitted well for the adsorption of DEDS and DCIP by PAC. When treated by combined oxidation/PAC, the removal ratio of algae cells and odorants were lower (at least 1.6 times) than the sum of removal ratios obtained in oxidation or PAC adsorption alone. Among these four oxidants, the highest synchronous control efficiency of odorants (52 %) and algae (66 %) was achieved by NaClO/PAC. Prolonging the dosage time interval promoted the removal rates. The pre-PAC/post-oxidation processes possessed comparable efficiency for the removal of odorants and algae cells comparing with pre-oxidation/post-PAC process, but significantly inhibited formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), especially for the formation of C-DBPs (for NaClO and ClO2), bromate (for O3) and chlorate/chlorite (for ClO2). This study could provide a better understanding of improving in-situ operation of the combined pre-treatments of oxidation and PAC for source water.

Efficient Mn(II) removal by biological granular activated carbon filtration

Sufficient and sustainable manganese(II) removal is a challenging task to prevent Mn-related drinking water discoloration problems. This study investigated Mn(II) removal by granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration under various conditions. The results showed that biological GAC filter columns could reduce Mn(II) from 400 μg/L to 10 μg/L after a short ripening period, while sand filter columns did not show evident Mn(II) removal function. Water quality changes, pretreatment with NaClO and chemogenic MnO_x coating on GAC media surface did not influence the Mn(II) removal capacity of GAC filter columns. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the abundance of potential Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria in the GAC media was similar to that in the sand media. However, qPCR results indicated that GAC media colonized dramatically more biomass than sand media, resulting in highly effective Mn(II) removal by GAC filter columns. Under chlorinated conditions, GAC filtration underperformed sand filtration in Mn(II) removal, although activated carbon has been reported to be capable of catalyzing Mn(II) oxidation by chlorine. Fast chlorine decay in GAC filter columns made it hard to sustain chemical Mn(II) oxidation and thus led to less Mn(II) removal. This study highlighted the advantage of biological GAC filtration over sand filtration in Mn(II) removal.

Transfer organic chloramines to monochloramine using two-step chlorination: A method to inhibit N-DBPs formation in algae-containing water treatment

Organic chloramines formed in chlorination of algae-containing water are typical precursors of nitrogenous disinfection byproducts (N-DPBs). The objective to simultaneously enhance the removal efficiency of organic chloramines and control DBP formation remains a challenge. In this study, we report a two-step chlorination strategy for transferring organic chloramines to monochloramine based on the decomposition mechanisms of mono- and di-organic chloramines, which could limit organic chloramines formation and inhibit N-DBPs formation. We demonstrated that two-step chlorination could decrease the organic chloramines formation by nearly 50% than conventional one-step chlorination. Furthermore, two-step chlorination not only blocked the pathway that organic chloramines decomposed to nitriles, but also led to the conversion of organic chloramines to monochloramine. During two-step chlorination of algal organic matter, the organic chloramine transfer proportion decreased by 6.5% and the monochloramine transfer proportion increased by 17.0%. The N-DBP formation, especially haloacetonitriles (HANs), decreased significantly as organic nitrogen became inorganic nitrogen (monochloramine) in two-step chlorination. This work further clarified the process from algal organic matter to N-DBPs, which could expand our understanding of algae-derived organic chloramines removal and DBPs control.

Management of biogenic taste and odour: From source water, through treatment processes and distribution systems, to consumers

Biogenic taste and odour (T&O) have become a global concern for water utilities, due to the increasing frequency of algal blooms and other microbial events arising from the combined effects of climate change and eutrophication. Microbially-produced T&O compounds impact source waters, drinking water treatment plants, and drinking water distribution systems. It is important to manage across the entire biogenic T&O pathway to identify key risk factors and devise strategies that will safeguard the quality of drinking water in a changing world, since the presence of T&O impacts consumer confidence in drinking water safety. This study provides a critical review of current knowledge on T&O-causing microbes and compounds for proactive management, including the identification of abiotic risk factors in source waters, a discussion on the effectiveness of existing T&O barriers in drinking water treatment plants, an analysis of risk factors for biofilm growth in water distribution systems, and an assessment of the impacts of T&O on consumers. The fate of biogenic T&O in drinking water systems is tracked from microbial production pathways, through the release of intracellular T&O by cell lysis, to the treatment of microbial cells and dissolved T&O. Based on current knowledge, five impactful research and management directions across the T&O pathway are recommended.

Effect of Al hydrates on minimization of disinfection-by-products precursors by coagulation with intensified pre-oxidation towards cyanobacteria-laden water

Pre-oxidation is warranted to improve cyanobacteria removal and minimize disinfection by-products (DBPs) precursors for subsequent coagulation with polyaluminum chloride (PACl) in drinking water treatment. However, the reduction in DBP precursors strongly depends on the Al hydrates for PACl coagulation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of intensified NaOCl and ClO₂ pre-oxidation on the removal of Microcystis aeruginosa (MA) and the corresponding halogenated DBP precursors by PACl coagulation with different Al hydrates. Two PACl coagulants, namely PACl-W with 51% monomeric Al and PACl-H with 71% polymeric Al, were used for FlocCAM jar test. The results have shown that the reductions in MA cell and algogenic organic matter (AOM) are more pronounced by sweep flocculation in PACl-W coagulation coupled with NaOCl pre-oxidation. In contrast, ClO₂ pre-oxidation with PACl-H coagulation outperforms the floc formation and the reduction in each fluorescent DOM substance, especially for humic acid-like (HAL) substances reduction in response to charge neutralization. Regardless of pre-oxidation approach, PACl-H coagulation exhibits a superior reduction in carbonaceous DBP formation potential (C-DBPFP) comparative PACl-W coagulation, especially for intensified pre-oxidation (Cl₂:DOC = 3:1). Intensified NaOCl pre-oxidation is effective to enhance DBPFP reduction in a similar way to ClO₂ oxidation by coagulation with both PACl coagulants. In addition, it clearly demonstrates that the halogenated DBP precursors are well-correlated with UV₂₅₄ absorbance on the basis of principal component analysis (PCA) inference. It is concluded that intensified NaOCl pre-oxidation is an alternative approach to ClO₂ pre-oxidation for the minimization of DBP precursors in oxidation-coagulation processes for cyanobacteria-laden water treatment.

Pre-oxidation of Microcystis aeruginosa-laden water by intensified chlorination: Impact of growth phase on cell degradation and in-situ formation of carbonaceous disinfection by-products

Algal growth strongly affects the change in characteristics of algal organic matter (AOM) in algae-laden water. AOM has adverse effects on algal cell removal from natural water by coagulation-sedimentation, frequently results in the significant formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). This study aimed to investigate the effects of pre-chlorination on Microcystis aeruginosa (MA)-laden water collected in exponential and decline phases and the corresponding in-situ formed carbonaceous DBPs (C-DBPs) within 10 min exposure time. An automated fluorescent cell counter was used to determine the changes in cell degradation and viability, and fluorescent organic matters were characterized. The results have shown that MA cells suffer a faster and stronger degradation in chlorination at the exponential phase to cause more pronounced viability loss (>70%) than that at the decline phase, resulting in more significant released AOM degradation and C-DBPs formation, especially for THMs formation. In chlorination, a significant degradation in SMP-like and HA-like substances occurs at the exponential phase, while AP-like and SMP-like organics are predominantly degraded at the decline phase. Both THM and HAA precursors play an important role towards in-situ formation of C-DBPs at the exponential phase while THM precursors are dominant at the decline phase. THMs formation decreases with increasing HAAs formation over time during chlorination at the exponential phase, but stagnant THMs and HAAs formation occurs at the decline phase. Intensified pre-chlorination at high dosing ratio (Cl₂:DOC = 1:1) favors to facilitate in-situ formation of THMs. It is concluded that algal growth phase impact on cell removal and C-DBPs formation should be concerned for intensified pre-chlorination towards MA-laden water for drinking water treatment.

Microcystis aeruginosa removal by the combination of ultrasound and TiO2/biochar

Harmful cyanobacteria blooms are increasing. They call for novel removal technology, since the required doses of algaecides may cause further environmental pollution or damage treatment facilities. Undesirable intracellular compounds can be released in the water when cyanobacterial cells are damaged. For the first time, ultrasound irradiation was combined with TiO₂/biochar (TiO₂/BC) at relatively low dosage and tested as an alternative for promoting the coagulation of Microcystis aeruginosa in water treatment. This pre-oxidation process removed 92% of cyanobacterial cells after coagulation. With the combination of ultrasound and TiO₂/BC treatment, the dissolved organic carbon and microcystins levels did not increase significantly. The oxidative treatments enhanced the permeability of the cyanobacterial cell membranes, which may be due to the various active species generated from the ultrasound and TiO₂/BC process. The results showed that the TiO₂/BC hybrid catalyst could be a potential candidate for cyanobacterial cells removal in water.

Comparison between permanganate pre-oxidation and persulfate/iron(II) enhanced coagulation as pretreatment for ceramic membrane ultrafiltration of surface water contaminated with manganese and algae

Concurrent presence of algae and manganese (Mn) in water poses a significant challenge for water treatment. This study compared the treatment efficiency of Mn-containing and algae-laden water using either permanganate pre-oxidation (KMnO₄) or persulfate/iron(II) (PMS/Fe²⁺) enhanced coagulation as pretreatment for ceramic membrane ultrafiltration. The results showed that KMnO₄ pre-oxidation achieved a slightly more effective Mn removal, and was almost unaffected by the initial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. PMS/Fe²⁺ removed UV₂₅₄ more efficiently (above 90% at a dose of 0.25 mmol/L), compared with KMnO₄ (less than 60% UV₂₅₄ removal). According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of aggregates, both KMnO₄ and Fe²⁺/PMS oxidation resulted in the formation of MnO₂ precipitate. Electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR) analysis demonstrated that only the reactors dosed with PMS/Fe²⁺ were able to generate the highly reactive hydroxyl radical(·OH). The production of ·OH caused significant rupture of algal cells and thus higher algal removal compared to the treatment with KMnO₄ (whereby insignificant cell breakage was observed). The cell rupture resulted in higher amounts of organic matter released in the systems containing PMS/Fe²⁺, as demonstrated by excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and protein analysis. Despite the elevated level of organic matter, adding PMS/Fe²⁺ was found to notably mitigate membrane fouling due to the formation of large flocs (311-533 μm) as well as the elimination of major ceramic membrane foulants, i.e. humic substances.

Impacts of pre-oxidation on the formation of disinfection byproducts from algal organic matter in subsequent chlor(am)ination: A review

Algae cells and algal organic matter (AOM) present in algae impacted source water pose a serious threat to the safety of drinking water. Conventional water treatment processes poorly remove AOM that can transform to harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during ensuing disinfection. This article offers a comprehensive review on the impacts of pre-oxidation on the formation of DBPs from AOM in subsequent chlor(am)ination. Various characterization techniques for algal cells and AOM are first overviewed with an effort to better understanding of correlation between the AOM properties and downstream DBP formation. Then, the present work reviews recent studies on application of different pre-oxidation technologies, such as chlor(am) ination, UV irradiation, ozonation, ferrate (VI), permanganate oxidation and UV-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), to remove algal cells and degrade AOM. Pre-oxidation can reduce the stability of algal cells and inactivate algal cells for promoting cell aggregation and thus favoring coagulation. Meanwhile, pre-oxidation can mitigate and degrade AOM into small molecular weight organic compounds to reduce DBP formation potential during subsequent chlor(am)ination. Finally, this review provides an overall evaluation on the applicability of different pre-oxidation processes, and identifies future research demands.

The aggregation kinetics of manganese oxides nanoparticles in Al(III) electrolyte solutions: Roles of distinct Al(III) species and natural organic matters

This study explored the aggregation kinetics of manganese oxides (MnO_x) nanoparticles in Al(III) electrolyte solutions. This is a common process in both water treatments and the natural environment. The results show that aggregation kinetics are Al(III) species-dependent. Without natural organic matters (NOM), ferron Al_a (monomeric Al(III)) and ferron Al_b (polymeric Al(III)) are the main species controlling the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) type aggregation behavior of MnO_x at pH 5.0 and 7.2, respectively. Al_a and Al_b can neutralize and reverse the negative charge of MnO_x. Correspondingly, the attachment efficiency as a function of Al(III) concentrations contains three stages: destabilization, diffusion-limited, and re-stabilization stage. Interestingly, due to the tiny size of Al_b nanoclusters, they behave similar to free ions and do not induce heteroaggregation at pH 7.2. The influence of some model NOM (i.e., bovine serum albumin (BSA), Sigma humic acid (HA), and alginate) was also studied. At pH 5.0, alginate polymers, while Sigma HA and BSA cannot be, are linked by Al(III) to form alginate gel clusters which bridge MnO_x nanoparticles, and thus induce bridging flocculation. At pH 7.2, NOM induce the aggregation of Al_b nanoclusters to form NOM-Al(III) aggregates through charge neutralization effects. Consequently, highly enhanced aggregation rate, due to the heteroaggregation between these aggregates and MnO_x, was observed.

Ultrasound-assisted coagulation for Microcystis aeruginosa removal using Fe3O4-loaded carbon nanotubes

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are increasing environmental issues and require novel removal technology since the required doses of algaecides may cause further environmental pollution or treatment facility damage. Herein, we firstly introduce the combination of ultrasound and Fe₃O₄/CNTs as an alternative strategy to enhance coagulation for the removal of Microcystis aeruginosa cells in water. It remarkably enhanced cyanobacterial cell removal and microcystins control, compared with sonication alone (40 kHz ultrasonic bath, 4.2 mJ mL⁻¹). 94.4% cyanobacterial cells were removed using 20 second sonication with 20 mg L⁻¹ Fe₃O₄/CNTs, Al₂(SO₄)₃ coagulation (20 μM). Both sonication time and catalyst dose significantly influenced the cyanobacterial removal. Ultrasound with Fe₃O₄/CNTs only induced a slight increase of cell permeability, which may contribute to the effective control of DOC and microcystins' release in water. The enhanced settlement of the cyanobacterial cells may result from the moderate oxidation on the cell surface. This study suggested a novel ultrasound-Fe₃O₄/CNT process to promote cyanobacteria removal with efficient DOC and microcystin release control, which is a green and safe technology for drinking water treatment.

The combination of sonication and Fe₃O₄/CNTs were applied on Microcystis aeruginosa removal for the first time.

Application progress of enhanced coagulation in water treatment

Water industries worldwide consider coagulation/flocculation to be one of the major treatment methods for improving the overall efficiency and cost effectiveness of water and wastewater treatment. Enhancing the coagulation process is currently a popular research topic. In this review article, the latest developments in enhanced coagulation are summarized. In addition, the mechanisms of enhanced coagulation and the effect of process parameters on processing efficiency are discussed from the perspective of ballast-enhanced coagulation, preoxidation, ultrasound, and composite coagulants. Finally, improvements and new directions for enhanced coagulation are proposed.

This review summarizes the current situation of enhanced coagulation and looks forward to future development.

Effects of pre-ozonation on the cell characteristics and N-nitrosodimethylamine formation at three growth phases of Microcystis aeruginosa

Pre-oxidation in water treatment is considered an effective method to enhance the removal of algal cells and their exuded organic matters. However, pre-oxidation also alters the characteristics of algae and consequently influences disinfection processes. The existing studies mainly focused on the stationary growth phase, but little is known for the exponential and declined phases. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of pre-ozonation on the integrity of algal cells, the release of algal organic matters, and the formation of disinfection by-products like N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) at three growth phases. The results demonstrated that pre-ozonation was efficient to inactivate M. aeruginosa cells. The severity of M. aeruginosa cell damage increased as the ozone dosage increased from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/L. The damage of cell membranes resulted in the release of intracellular organic matters. Excitation-emission matrix spectra (EEMS) analysis indicated that ozone mainly reacted with soluble microbial products (SMP). With the increase of ozone concentration, although the trend of NDMA formation was similar for all three growth phases, more production of NDMA by algal cells was observed at the declined phase. In the post-disinfection process, chloramine showed the potential as a more suitable disinfectant than chlorination after pre-ozonation to minimize the NDMA formation. Therefore, appropriate pre-ozonation is beneficial to reduce the NDMA formation from exponential algae, while has no significant change during both stationary and declined phases.

Evaluating the effects of the preoxidation of H2O2, NaClO, and KMnO4 and reflocculation on the dewaterability of sewage sludge

The preoxidation effects of H₂O₂, NaClO, and KMnO₄ on the dewaterability of sewage sludge were compared by analyzing the changes in specific resistance to filtration (SRF), filter cake moisture content (FCMC), extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) fractions and components, and floc properties. The three oxidants varied in oxidation efficiency and exhibited distinctive mechanisms. NaClO not only destroyed sludge flocs and EPSs but also effectively caused cell lysis, resulting in release of a considerable amount of organic matters and subsequently significant deterioration of dewatering performance. The oxidation of H₂O₂ and KMnO₄ was relatively mild and occurred mainly on the outer layers of the sludge flocs and cell-bound EPSs. By contrast, the SRF and FCMC of the sludge conditioned with a low dose of KMnO₄ were slightly improved, and a fraction of soluble EPS was compressed because of the coagulation effect of the oxidation product MnO₂. The pH of the sludge conditioned with H₂O₂ and KMnO₄ showed no considerable change. Meanwhile, NaClO evidently increased the alkalinity of the sludge because of the hydrolysis effect. After the pH of the NaClO-treated sludge was readjusted to 7.0, the partial protonation efficiency slightly alleviated the deterioration of sludge dewatering performance. The preoxidized sludge was then subjected to reflocculation treatment using FeCl₃, polyacrylamide, and a cationic starch-based flocculant, respectively. The combined treatment of preoxidation and reflocculation showed a high dewatering efficiency owing to their synergistic effect.

Probing algogenic organic matter (AOM) by size-exclusion chromatography to predict AOM-derived disinfection by-product formation

High-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) coupled with peak-fitting technique was used to probe molecular weight (MW) properties of algogenic organic matter (AOM). The qualitative and quantitative MW information derived was used to predict AOM-derived disinfection by-product (DBP) formation. We resolved overlapping HPSEC chromatograms of all AOM samples into six major peaks with R² > 0.996. This study gave significant insight into the HPSEC profiles of AOM, in which resolved peaks A and B (biopolymers) and peak C (humic substances) showed a strong correlation with the formation of carbonaceous-DBPs (C-DBPs). This likely resulted from the abundance of aromatic structures and conjugated CC double bonds in their chemical nature. Our results also indicated the importance of algal cells, including intra-cellular and cell-bound organic matter, over extra-cellular organic matter as precursors to C-DBP formation. The application of the information extracted from HPSEC profiles associated with the fluorescent components of AOM showed great improvements in the predictability of THMs, HAAs, and C-DBPs with R² > 0.7 and p < 0.05. The outcome of this study will significantly benefit effective control of AOM-derived DBP formation by the chlorination of eutrophic waters.

Variations of floc morphology and extracellular organic matters (EOM) in relation to floc filterability under algae flocculation harvesting using polymeric titanium coagulants (PTCs)

The work evaluated the algae cells removal efficiency using titanium salt coagulants with different degree of polymerization (PTCs), and the algae cells aggregates and extracellular organic matter (EOM) under chemical flocculation were investigated. The results indicated that PTCs performed well in algae cells flocculation and separation. The main mechanism using PTCs of low alkalisation degree for algae flocculation was associated with charge neutralization, while adsorption bridging and sweep flocculation was mainly responsible for algae removal by PTCs of high alkalisation degree treatment. In addition, the flocs formed by PTC_1.0 showed the best filtration property, and EOM reached the minimum at this time, indicating the flocs formed by PTC_1.0 were more compact than other PTCs, which can be confirmed by SEM analysis. Three-dimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence (3D-EEM) and high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) revealed that the EOMs were removed under PTCs flocculation, which improved floc filterability.

Cyanobacterium removal and control of algal organic matter (AOM) release by UV/H2O2 pre-oxidation enhanced Fe(II) coagulation

Harmful algal blooms in source water are a worldwide issue for drinking water production and safety. UV/H₂O₂, a pre-oxidation process, was firstly applied to enhance Fe(II) coagulation for the removal of Microcystis aeruginosa [M. aeruginosa, 2.0 (±0.5) × 10⁶ cell/mL] in bench scale. It significantly improved both algae cells removal and algal organic matter (AOM) control, compared with UV irradiation alone (254 nm UVC, 5.4 mJ/cm²). About 94.7% of algae cells were removed after 5 min UV/H₂O₂ pre-treatment with H₂O₂ dose 375 μmol/L, FeSO₄ coagulation (dose 125 μmol/L). It was also certified that low residue Fe level and AOM control was simultaneously achieved due to low dose of Fe(II) to settle down the cells as well as the AOM. The result of L₉(3)⁴ orthogonal experiment demonstrated that H₂O₂ and FeSO₄ dose was significantly influenced the algae removal. UV/H₂O₂ induced an increase of intracellular reactive oxidant species (ROS) and a decrease in zeta potential, which might contribute to the algae removal. The total microcystins (MCs) concentration was 1.5 μg/L after UV/H₂O₂ pre-oxidation, however, it could be removed simultaneously with the algae cells and AOM. This study suggested a novel application of UV/H₂O₂-Fe(II) process to promote algae removal and simultaneously control AOM release in source waters, which is a green and promising technology without secondary pollution.

Potent removal of cyanobacteria with controlled release of toxic secondary metabolites by a titanium xerogel coagulant

Cyanobacteria blooming is a serious environmental issue throughout the world. Removal of cyanobacterial cells from surface water with controlled release of cyanobacterial organic matter (COM), especially toxic microcystins (MCs), would potentially reduce the processing burden in follow-up water treatment. Coagulation is a key technique in water treatment. Herein, the potential application of a novel titanium xerogel coagulant (TXC) was evaluated for the treatment of cyanobacteria-laden water in terms of cyanobacteria removal efficiency, variation of cell viability, the release and evolution of COM in the floc accumulation and storage process. Under acidic to neutral conditions, TXC showed a higher removal efficiency of approximately 99% for cyanobacteria and a lower residual Ti concentration than the widely-used commercial polyferric sulfate (PFS) and polyaluminum chloride (PAC). Another advantage of TXC was the reduced MCs concentration caused by the released acetylacetone (AcAc) from the hydrolysis of TXC. Under solar irradiation, AcAc degraded the extracellular MCs from an initial concentration of 40 μg/L to a residual concentration of 7 μg/L during a 16-day floc storage process. The low residual Ti concentration (< 0.04 mg/L) and the efficient removal of COM/MCs following TXC coagulation reduced the toxicity to photobacteria. The results demonstrate that TXC is a promising dual-effect coagulant for treatment of cyanobacteria-laden water.

Algal removal from cyanobacteria-rich waters by preoxidation-assisted coagulation-flotation: Effect of algogenic organic matter release on algal removal and trihalomethane formation

The cyanobacteria-bloom in raw waters frequently causes an unpredictable chemical dosing of preoxidation and coagulation for an effective removal of algal cells in water treatment plants. This study investigated the effects of preoxidation with NaOCl and ClO₂ on the coagulation-flotation effectiveness in the removal of two commonly blooming cyanobacteria species, Microcystis aeruginosa (MA) and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (CR), and their corresponding trihalomethane (THM) formation potential. The results showed that dual dosing with NaOCl plus ClO₂ was more effective in enhancing the deformation of cyanobacterial cells compared to single dosing with NaOCl, especially for CR-rich water. Both preoxidation approaches for CR-rich water effectively reduced the CR cell count with less remained dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which benefited subsequent coagulation-flotation. However, preoxidation led to an adverse release of algogenic organic matter (AOM) in the case of MA-rich water. The release of AOM resulted in a poor removal in MA cells and a large amount of THM formation after oxidation-assisted coagulation-flotation process. The reduction in THM formation potential of CR-rich waters is responsible for effective algae and DOC removal by alum coagulation. It is concluded that the species-specific characteristic of cyanobacteria and their AOM released during chlorination significantly influences the performance of coagulation-flotation for AOM removal and corresponding THM formation.

Microcystis aeruginosa-laden water treatment using enhanced coagulation by persulfate/Fe(II), ozone and permanganate: Comparison of the simultaneous and successive oxidant dosing strategy

In this study, the application of enhanced coagulation with persulfate/Fe(II), permanganate and ozone for Microcystis-laden water treatment was investigated. Two oxidant dosage strategies were compared in terms of the organic removal performance: a simultaneous dosing strategy (SiDS) and a successive dosing strategy (SuDS). To optimize the oxidant species, oxidant doses and oxidant dosage strategy, the zeta potential, floc size and dimension fraction, potassium release and organic removal efficiency during the coagulation of algae-laden water were systematically investigated and comprehensively discussed. Ozonation causes most severe cell lysis and reduces organic removal efficiency because it releases intracellular organics. Moreover, ozonation can cause the release of odor compounds such as 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and geosmin (GSM). With increasing doses, the performance of pollutant removal by coagulation enhanced by persulfate/Fe(II) or permanganate did not noticeably improve, which suggests that a low dosage of persulfate/Fe(II) and permanganate is the optimal strategy to enhance coagulation of Microcystis-laden water. The SiDS performs better than the SuDS because more Microcystis cell lysis occurs and less DOC is removed when oxidants are added before the coagulants.

Visualization and quantification of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in freshwater using an auto-imaging approach

Most water sources are full of microscopic transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), which are currently regarded as a major initiator of biofilm formation. This study developed and applied an auto-imaging FlowCAM-based method for online observation and quantification of TEP in freshwater. Samples from reservoirs in Taiwan with a wide range of water quality were directly used to develop this methodology. Factors that potentially affect the measurement were tested. The results showed that characteristics of the particles measured instantaneously after staining samples with Alcian blue differed significantly from those measured at steady states, as a result of particle aggregation. Compared to traditional microscopic methods, this proposed method provides a simple, rapid, and less labor-intensive analysis with particle morphological conservation and a large number of particle attributes. By overcoming the limitations from the former, this technique would offer routine monitoring of these transparent particles from various freshwater sources and feed water in membrane filtration, hence facilitating the use of TEP as a critical parameter for biofouling investigation in water treatment. Application of the method for Taiwan reservoirs showed a wide variety of morphological forms of TEP and its abundance, up to 25,000 ppm.

UV/persulfate preoxidation to improve coagulation efficiency of Microcystis aeruginosa

The performance of UV-activated persulfate (UV/PS) technology as preoxidation process to enhance Microcystis aeruginosa removal by subsequent coagulation-sedimentation was firstly evaluated. The results demonstrate that UV/PS preoxidation could successfully promote coagulation of algae cells through the effective neutralization of zeta potential, which was caused by the changes of cell morphology, size distribution and surface properties after simultaneous UV irradiation and formed reactive species (i.e. SO₄^- and HO) oxidation. Since excessive oxidation would cause cell rupture along with the release of organics, which could deteriorate coagulation efficiency, optimal PS dose (60mg/L) and UV dose (375mJ/cm²) were proposed to exist in this study. The concentrations of extracellular algal organic matter (AOM) sharply increased by 48.2% during the preoxidation period, while gradually decreased in the following coagulation and sedimentation. Most of the concerned disinfection by-products (DBPs) monotonically decreased or followed fluctuant reduction with increasing PS doses, whereas the trichloromethane, trichloroacetic acid and dichloroacetonitrile persistently increased, which was inferred to be related to the variation of AOM. This study suggests that UV/PS might be a potential pretreatment process to assist coagulation on the removal of algae.

A mini review of preoxidation to improve coagulation

Preoxidation has attracted people's attention due to its effectiveness in enhancing coagulation. The mechanisms, drawbacks and applications in the improvement of coagulation were summarized in this work. Preoxidation can destroy the organic coating on the surface of particles to change the zeta potential, which is the vital reason for improving coagulation. Co-existing metallic ions, such as calcium, iron and manganese, play important roles in the improvement of coagulation due to the formation of metal-humate complexes or the in situ formed coagulant. However, preoxidation could degrade organic matter from high molecular weight to low molecular weight and damage cell membrane of algae, causing intracellular algal organic matter to release outside and producing hydrophilic functional groups to some extent, which has the potential to deteriorate the water quality. Additionally, disinfection byproduct formation is also affected significantly through changing the characteristics of the organic and inorganic precursors. Based on the recent publications, some future developments of preoxidation process were suggested in this study.