The management of chloramine decay and the prevention of nitrification are some of the critical issues faced by water utilities that use chloramine as a disinfectant. Our PhD student, Sina has investigated the potential association between high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) data obtained with multiple wavelength UV detection from two dirnking water distribution systems in Australia and the occurence of nitrification, and introduced the concept of 'Chloroamine Decay Index (C.D.I.). The C.D.Is of waters at locations that experienced nitrification were consistently higher than locations not experiencing nitrification. These findings suggest that C.D.I derived from HPSEC with multiple wavelength UV detection could be an informative index to track the occurrence of rapid chloramine decay and nitrification.

Read more in J. Environ. Sci. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2016.11.007

Graphical abstract - HPSEC profiles and chloroamine decay