Treatability and characterization of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) in South African waters using newly developed methods

Managing the removal of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) or problematic components from water has become increasingly important. NOM is a heterogeneous mixture of organic compounds of human origin and derived from plant and microbial residues. The inadequate removal of NOM has a bearing on the capacity of the other treatment processes to remove organic micro-pollutants or inorganic species that may be present in the water. In addition the action of certain disinfection processes has been shown to lead to the formation of harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs). Owing to the complexity, in composition and structure, of NOM, the techniques currently employed for its characterization have a number of limitations, both in terms of quantification and removal of the NOM within short periods of time. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) and Fluorescence Emission Excitation Matrices (FEEM) were used to characterize NOM from various water samples collected around South Africa. Characterization results gave an indication of the character of NOM present in all the water samples. FEEM and UV–Vis results indicated that most of the water samples were aromatic in nature, since they had high hydrophobic and humic acid-like materials content. Generally, the characterization data indicated a varying composition of NOM amongst the various sampling points. The polarity rapid assessment method (PRAM) was then employed as a rapid NOM characterization tool. The characterization under PRAM is based on preferential adsorption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions onto solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbents. The PRAM also allows the separation of DOM into fractions by polarity, hence reducing the molecular heterogeneity of NOM and thus aiding the removal of specific NOM fractions from water. The PRAM provided a quick characterization of the NOM character. However, DOC quantification by the PRAM analysis was hindered by excessive carbon leaching from the SPE cartridges. The BDOC method of analysis is based on the bacteria fixed on the biologically active sand and gives a ratio of the biodegradable NOM versus the non-biodegradable NOM. For the BDOC analysis, the percentage DOC removal for the samples ranged from 12% to 61%.