The ideal model for determination the formation potential of priority DBPs during chlorination of free amino acids

Amino acids (AAs) account for about 15-35% of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and are known as the important precursors of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs). Determining the formation potential (FP) of AAs to DBPs is used to reveal the key precursors of DBPs for further control, while the ideal method for N-DBPs FP of AAs during chlorination is not revealed. In this study, the ideal FP test models for five classes of priority DBPs during chlorination of four representative AAs (accounted for about 35% of total AAs) were analyzed. For haloaldehydes (HALs), haloketones (HKs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), haloacetamides (HAMs), and halonitromethanes (HNMs), their FPs during chlorination of four AAs were 0.1-13.0, 0.01-1.1, 0.1-104, not detectable (nd)-173, and nd-0.4 μg/mg, respectively. The FPs of priority DBPs had significant deviations between different FP test models and different tested AAs. For HALs, the model, whose chlorine dosage was determined by 15× molar concentration of AAs [Cl (mM) = 15×M](named: model II), was the ideal model. For HKs, model II was also the ideal FP test model for AAs with ≤ 3 carbons, while for AAs with 4 carbons, the model, whose chlorine dosage was determined by keeping the residual chlorine at 1±0.2 mg/L after 24 h of reaction (named: model 4), was the ideal model. For HANs and HNMs, model 4 was the ideal FP test model for most of the studied AAs. The performance of HAMs during chlorination of amino acids is totally different from other P-DBPs, and model 3 is recommended to be the ideal model, in which chlorine dosage was determined by 3× mass concentration of AAs [Cl (mg/L) = X×DOC]. This study is a reference that helps researchers select an ideal model for N-DBPs FP study of AAs.