N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a potent carcinogen that is frequently detected nitrosamine from water chloramination. This study investigated the occurrence of NDMA and its potential precursor, ranitidine (RNT), in four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Additionally, the effects of chloramination methods and oxidative pretreatment on the NDMA formation potential (FP) were assessed. Concentration levels of NDMA in the WWTPs waters ranged from 2.5 (detection limit) to 72.6 ng/L, while RNT values ranged from 1.32 to 186.9 ng/L. Further study indicated that the NDMA-FPs from chloraminated wastewaters varied between 36.2 and 227.8 ng/L. Nonetheless, chloramination methods and oxidative pretreatment significantly impacted the NDMA-FP levels. For example, breakpoint chlorination and stepwise chloramination promoted NDMA-FP when compared to preformed chloramination, which could be attributed to the formation of dichloramine and chlorine species. In contrast, prechlorination was found to effectively mitigate NDMA-FP, based on integrated ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Notably, UV irradiation with free chlorine (UV/Cl2) or permanganate (UV/MnO4 -) reduced NDMA-FP by up to 70%. This study suggests that UV/MnO4 - and UV/Cl2 may be used as alternative mitigation strategies for reducing nitrosamine-FP in the water treatment process.

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a class of disinfection byproducts and a frequently detected nitrosamine with carcinogenic potentials. This review summarizes NDMA precursors, their formation mechanisms in chloraminated water, and mitigation strategies. Understanding the formation mechanism and characteristics of precursors is essential for developing a mitigation strategy. Dimethylamine (DMA), the most widely studied NDMA precursor, has an NDMA molar yield up to 3%. In comparison, a subset of tertiary amines, e.g., pharmaceuticals, generate up to 90% upon chloramination. Potent NDMA precursors, are characterized by their negative partial charge, low planarity values and molecular weight, and high bond length and pKa values. A nucleophilic substitution of tertiary amine on chloramine is a key reason for the high NDMA yield from the most potent NDMA precursors. The distribution and fate of NDMA in surface water, aquifers, and its formation in the distribution system can be mitigated through two strategies: (1) degrading or/removing NDMA after its formation and (2) pre-treatment of its precursor’s prior chloramination.

This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of chloramination as a secondary disinfection in a drinking water distribution system. At the range from pH 6 to pH 8, monochloramine was predominant with a trace of dichloramine, and the free chlorine was detected after breakpoint. At 25℃, the breakpoints of pH 6, 7 and 8 appeared when the weight ratios of chlorine to ammonia nitrogen were 11:1, 9:1 and 10:1 respectively, and the peak points on the breakpoint curves at pH 6, 7 and 8 were in the Cl2 / NH3-N ratio of 9:1, 6:1 and 5:1 respectively. As pH increased from 6 to 8, maximum point of monochloramine on the breakpoint curve was moved from 7:1 to 5:1 in the weight ratio of chlorine to ammonia nitrogen. The maximum concentration of monochloramine was formed at the pH values of 7～8 and in the Cl2 / NH3-N ratio below 5:1. As the Cl2 / NH3-N ratio increased and the pH lowered, chloramines decay proceeded at an increased rate, and residual chloramines lasted longer than the residual free chlorine. The monochloramine and the dichloramine were formed at pH 6, and then the dichloramine continued increasing with contact time.

This study was performed to evaluate the inactivation and microbial regrowth of heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria using chloramine as a secondary disinfectant for drinking water distribution system. Three sets of the three reactors filled with the Cl2/NH3-N ratio of 3:1, 4:1 and 5:1 were used in these experiments. Chloramine concentration were applied to each set of the reactors with 1㎎/ℓ, 2㎎/ℓ and 3㎎/ℓ, respectively. For the set with 1㎎/ℓ was applied, all the reactors showed that the residual chloramine concentration gradually decreased with elapsed time and reached to zero level after 7 days. Heterotrophic bacteria remarkably increased and nitrification occurred after 11 days. For the sets with 2㎎/ℓ and 3㎎/ℓ, however, the residual chloramine was maintained through the experimenatal period (21 day). Furthermore the regrowth of heterotrophic bacteria and nitrification were not found. More than 2㎎/ℓ of chloramine with Cl2/NH3-N ratio of 3:1, the nitrification could be inhibited by 2 days of contact time.