Free radical destruction of haloacetamides in aqueous solution

Haloacetamides are disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed through chlorine/chloramine disinfection processes in drinking waters and have been recently highlighted in the US national Reconnaissance Survey. These species occur at low concentrations, but have been determined to have high cytotoxicity and mutagenicity and therefore may represent a human health hazard. Advanced oxidation/reduction processes (AO/RPs) which utilize free radical reactions are new alternatives to degrade these species. This study reports the absolute bimolecular reaction rate constants for 12 haloacetamides with •OH radical and hydrated electron. The •OH radical reaction rates varied from 5.18 × 10⁷ to 1.14 × 10¹⁰ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, and hydrated electron reaction rates varied from 5.00 × 10⁹ to 3.64 × 10¹⁰ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Results obtained using an ion chromatograph indicated that ARPs are suitable for dehaloliazation of haloacetamides. These data are required for both evaluating AO/RPs for the destruction of these compounds and for studies of their fate and transport in surface waters where radical chemistry may be important in assessing their lifetime.