Machine-learning-assisted prediction and optimized kinetic modelling of residual chlorine decay for enhanced water quality management.

The quality of water changes from source to tap, presenting challenges in maintaining consistent water quality across the system. Predicting water quality in distribution systems, including disinfectant residual loss and by-product formation, has been the subject of research since the early 1990s. Although numerous models have been proposed to predict residual chlorine decay, disputes exist among researchers and experts over the superiority of certain models. Accordingly, this study modified the existing process-based bulk decay models by replacing the initial Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) concentration parameter with TRC demand, leading to an improvement in the models' performance. The modification resulted in a 38.03%, 28.02%, 23.11%, and 33.29% average improvement in Mean Squared Error (MSE) values for the First Order Model (FOM), Parallel First Order Model (PFOM), Second Order Model (SOM), and Parallel Second Order Model (PSOM), respectively. The study also introduced an online predictive method based on a Machine Learning (ML) algorithm that predicts the first-order TRC bulk decay rate by using water quality parameters as inputs. A Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model was used to predict the kinetic parameters in FOM, which accurately predicted the test sets for most of the cases. In addition, a new methodology was proposed in this study for predicting TRC in water distribution systems that incorporates the variability of source natural organic matter, operational actions, and water demands. This method seeks to develop high-fidelity and robust water quality predictions that provide operational decision support for optimized distribution system management. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding water quality changes from source to tap and the challenges of maintaining consistent water quality across the system. The study suggests modifying existing models and introducing a novel methodology for predicting residual chlorine in water distribution systems that can improve water quality management and, ultimately, better public health outcomes.

Characteristics and behaviors of microplastics undergoing photoaging and Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) initiated aging.

The fact that 94% of microplastics (MPs) ubiquitous in the environment are subject to natural weathering makes the aging study currently a research hotspot. This review summarized the physicochemical characteristics of MPs undergoing natural and artificial aging and evaluated current analytical methods used in aging studies. Besides, the differences in photoaging and aging induced by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were discussed, leading to a conclusion that AOPs composed of oxidant and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can better facilitate the alteration of MPs compared to UV irradiation alone. In addition, the environmental behavior of aged MPs was outlined and their adsorption properties for organics and metals were highlighted as a result of combined effects of hydrophobic, π-π, diffusion, and hydrogen bond interaction. Furthermore, the mechanisms of photoaging and AOPs-initiated aging were analyzed, mainly the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs). Finally, the applications of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra using excitation emission matrix-parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) were discussed for the aging process analysis. This overview plays an important role in explaining the aging characteristics of MPs and provides a theoretical foundation for further investigations into their toxicity and removal.

Ozonation facilitates the aging and mineralization of polyethylene microplastics from water: Behavior, mechanisms, and pathways.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the environment, of which 94 % undergo the aging process. Accelerated aging induced by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is significant in explaining the formation pathway of secondary MPs and enables possible mineralization. In this study, ozonation coupled with hydrogen peroxide (O3/H2O2), a type of AOPs, was applied for the aging of MPs (polyethylene, PE). Physiochemical properties of aged PE MPs were analyzed through scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mechanism regarding the contribution of reactive oxygen species (•OH) was determined using chemical probe (p-chlorobenzoic acid) and quencher (tert-butanol). Possible transformation pathways were modeled via two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy. Mineralization of MPs, associated with aging was also studied, with the percentage of PE degradation determined by mass loss. Our results confirmed that ozonation promoted fragmentation of PE, with 20 mM H2O2 facilitating the production of •OH. The growth of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of PE was consistent with the alteration of the oxygen-to­carbon atom ratio, revealing the formation of CO, CO, and C-O-C. The enhanced adsorption property of aged PE for triclosan was due to the increased specific surface area and negative charges on the surface. Moreover, the percentage of PE degradation was higher at lower concentrations, and the mass loss reached 32.56 % at a PE concentration of 0.05 g/L after 8-h ozonation. These results contribute to revealing the long-term aging behavior of MPs and providing significant guidance for employing AOPs to achieve efficient removal.

Water treatment residual: A critical review of its applications on pollutant removal from stormwater runoff and future perspectives.

In recent years, many studies have been conducted on using different filter media in bioretention systems for stormwater runoff treatment. This critical review paper provides a comprehensive review on the current state of water treatment residual (WTR), a recycled material that can be used as bioretention filter media for removals of key stormwater runoff pollutants (especially phosphorus) and future perspectives with innovative modification on WTR applied for pathogen removal from stormwater runoff. This review paper comprised (i) a brief summary of the reported WTR characteristics, (ii) a thorough evaluation of WTR performance on major pollutants removal from stormwater runoff (iii) a discussion on phosphorus removal mechanisms by WTR applied in the stormwater runoff treatment, and (iv) a review of the future perspectives of WTR for pathogen removal and other potential practical application in the field of stormwater treatment. As outlined in this review, WTR in stormwater runoff treatment has yet to be fully explored. The possible enhancements, especially metal surface modification on WTR are reviewed to bring about the widespread use of WTR in stormwater reuse practices.