Engineering Commons^™

From Micro To Macro-Contaminants: The Impact Of Low-Energy Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysis Followed By Filtration On The Mitigation Of Drinking Water Organics, Brooke K. Mayer, Carlan Johnson, Yu Yang, Nicole Wellenstein, Emily K. Maher, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study evaluated strategies targeting macro- and micro-organic contaminant mitigation using low-energy titanium dioxide photocatalysis. Energy inputs of 1, 2, and 5 kWh m⁻³ resulted in incomplete oxidation of macro-organic natural organic matter, signified by greater reductions of UV₂₅₄ and specific ultraviolet UV absorbance (SUVA) in comparison to dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The rate of UV₂₅₄ removal was 3 orders of magnitude greater than the rate of DOC degradation. Incomplete oxidation improved operation of downstream filtration processes. Photocatalysis at 2 kWh m⁻³ increased the bed life of downstream granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration by 340% relative …