Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. Photolysis of inorganic chloramines and efficiency of trichloramine abatement by UV treatment of swimming pool water
 
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
research article

Photolysis of inorganic chloramines and efficiency of trichloramine abatement by UV treatment of swimming pool water

Soltermann, F.
•
Widler, T.
•
Canonica, S.
Show more
2014
Water Research

Trichloramine, one of the three inorganic chloramines (mono-, di- and trichloramine), is a problematic disinfection by-product in recreational pool water since it causes skin and eye irritations as well as irritations of the respiratory tract. The most commonly used chloramine mitigation strategy in pool water is UV treatment. Experiments with membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) confirmed that inorganic chloramines are effectively degraded by UV irradiation with low-pressure (LP) and medium-pressure (MP) mercury lamps (apparent quantum yields (QY): NH2Cl = 0.50 (LP) and 0.31 (MP) mol einstein(-1), NHCl2: 1.06 (LP) and 0.85 (MP) mol einstein(-1)). Trichloramine showed the fastest depletion with a quantum yield slightly above 2 mol einstein(-1) in purified (LP and MP) and pool water (MP). This high quantum yield can partly be explained by reactions involving OH radicals (purified water) and the reaction of trichloramine with moieties formed during UV irradiation of pool water. The presence of free chlorine affects trichloramine degradation (QY: ∼1.5 mol einstein(-1)) since it scavenges OH radicals and competes with trichloramine for reactive species (e.g. organic amines). Measurements in a pool facility revealed that the installed UV reactors degraded trichloramine by 40-50% as expected from laboratory experiments. However, trichloramine reduction in the pools was less pronounced than in the UV reactors. Model calculations combining pool hydraulics with formation/abatement of trichloramine showed that there was a fast trichloramine formation in the pool from the residual chlorine and nitrogenous precursors. The main factors influencing trichloramine concentrations in pool water are the free chlorine concentration and the UV treatment in combination with the recirculation rate through the water treatment system.

  • Details
  • Metrics
Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.watres.2014.02.034
Web of Science ID

WOS:000336109200027

Author(s)
Soltermann, F.
•
Widler, T.
•
Canonica, S.
•
von Gunten, Urs  
Date Issued

2014

Publisher

Elsevier

Published in
Water Research
Volume

56

Start page

280

End page

91

Subjects

Chloramines

•

Photolysis

•

Pool water

•

Trichloramine

•

UV irradiation

Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

OTHER

EPFL units
LTQE  
Available on Infoscience
May 27, 2014
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/103706
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés