Efeitos do processo oxidativo UV/H2O2 na formação de carbono orgânico assimilável e trihalometanos na presença de cianobactérias

Abstract

Studies have reported that organic matter from cyanobacteria cells is an important precursor in the formation of disinfection by-products (DBP), such as total trihalomethanes (THM), which is considered undesirable, especially when adopting advanced oxidative The treatment of water. Although this process induces the degradation of organic compounds, complete mineralization of these compounds may not be achieved. If the treatment is not effective, the organic matter is partially oxidized, with the assimilable organic carbon (AOC) as the by-product of oxidation, which may lead to an increase in trihalomethane precursors. This study aimed to evaluate the formation of organic carbon assimilable from the UV/H2O2 oxidative process of water containing cyanobacteria cells and its correlation with the formation of trihalomethanes. The experimental development of the study was divided into two main steps: adaptation of the standardized methodology for AOC quantification, and photo oxidative assays under different operating conditions. In the first step, the methodology standardized with the P-17 and NOX organisms was adapted, replacing the usual microbial growth evaluation technique (plate counting) using the flow cytometry technique. In the second step, photo-oxidative assays were performed from the exposure of water containing Microcystis aeruginosa cells to the UV/H2O2 oxidative process at different dosages of H2O2 (10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg L-1 ) at a density of 250.000 cell mL-1 . The pH, residual hydrogen peroxide, cell density of cyanobacteria, assimilable organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the formation of trihalomethanes were monitored. From the obtained results, it can be observed that the application of UV/H2O2 process in the treatment of water contaminated by cyanobacteria does indeed contribute to the formation of AOC, however in this case, this formation was not directly proportional to the formation of THM, as Was expected. It was observed that while the concentration of AOC increased after oxidation, the inverse occurred with the concentration of THM, which showed a significant reduction after the oxidation. The DOC concentration obtained showed a tendency similar to THM formation, since the concentration of both was reduced throughout the oxidative process. Relating the data of DOC and AOC can be observed that these also presented an inverse behavior. While DOC concentration decreased, AOC increased after oxidation. From the point of view of the efficiency of the UV/H2O2 process in the removal of organic matter from cyanobacterial cells and (or) DBP precursors, the application of this process has proved to be a viable alternative in the treatment of water contaminated by M. aeruginosa.