The removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from water is becoming increasingly important in order to prevent the formation of carcinogenic disinfection by-products (DBPs). The inadequate removal of NOM has a bearing on the capacity of other treatment processes to remove organic micro-pollutants or inorganic species that may be present in water. In order to effectively study the nature of South African water sources in terms of their NOM composition, water samples were collected from drinking water treatment plants in the five geographic water regions of South Africa. A raw water sample, an intermediate sample taken before sand filtration and a final sample after sand filtration were collected three times from these water treatment plants at two-month intervals and over three different seasons. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (FEEM), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), ultraviolet (UV) characterisation (200–900 nm) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) analyses were used to characterise the NOM in the water samples. The FEEM and UV results revealed that the samples were composed mainly of non-humic substances with low UV-254 absorbance, while some samples had high humic substances with high UV-254 values. The samples' DOC results were within the range of 3.25–21.44 mg/L carbon, which was indicative of the varying nature of the NOM composition in the regions where samples were collected. The BDOC fraction of the NOM, on the other hand, ranged from 20 to 65%, depending on the geographical location of the sampling site.
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Research Article|
August 01 2012
The characterisation of natural organic matter (NOM) in South African waters Available to Purchase
T. I. Nkambule;
T. I. Nkambule
1Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
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R. W. M. Krause;
R. W. M. Krause
1Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
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J. Haarhoff;
J. Haarhoff
1Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
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B. B. Mamba
1Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
E-mail: [email protected]
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Water Supply (2012) 12 (5): 648–657.
Article history
Received:
February 12 2012
Accepted:
April 12 2012
Citation
T. I. Nkambule, R. W. M. Krause, J. Haarhoff, B. B. Mamba; The characterisation of natural organic matter (NOM) in South African waters. Water Supply 1 August 2012; 12 (5): 648–657. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2012.038
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