Advanced Oxidation Process for Haloacetic Acid Removal in Tehranpars Water Treatment Using CuO Nanocatalyst

Potentially harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs), as a significant challenge in water treatment, are formed when oxidizing disinfectants react with natural organic matters (NOM). Unfortunately, an unwanted side effect is the formation of harmful by-products, such as THMs and HAAs, following the chlorination stage. DBPs cause a variety of diseases like cancer in humans. In this study, the Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) method was used to reduce HAA contamination in Tehranpars Water Treatment Plant. The EPA Method 552/2 was used for detecting HAA compounds by gas chromatography equipped with an ECD detector. The AOP method was performed in a photoreactor equipped with 4 UV lamps. The effects of UV radiation, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, level of pH, reaction time, number of UV lamps, and amount of CuO nanocatalyst on the oxidation reaction of HAA were investigated. The results showed that the annual mean levels of DCAA and TCAA in Tehranpars tap water were 0.0526 and 0.232, respectively. The optimum level of CuO nanocatalyst in the AOP process was 0.625 with 99.79% removal of DCAA and 99.22% removal of TCAA. The removal percentage increased with increasing treatment time, hydrogen peroxide level, and the number of the UV lamp at neutral and alkaline pH.