ENVR 275

Competitive formation of ClCN and BrCN in drinking water

Susana Y. Kimura, skimura2@uiuc.edu¹, Yukako Kumada, ykumada@uiuc.edu¹, Benito J. Mariñas, marinas@uiuc.edu¹, and Michael J. Plewa, mplewa@uiuc.edu². (1) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, (2) Department of Crop Sciences, & Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801

Monochloramine is increasingly being used as a disinfectant due to tighter regulations on disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation predominantly by chlorine. However, several studies (Mueller, ES&T 2007:41:2) suggest that DBPs formed by NH₂Cl, although not yet regulated, might be more toxic than currently regulated DBPs. Cyanogen halides (BrCN, ClCN) are formed from a reaction pathway initiated by monohaloamines (NH₂Cl, NH₂Br) reacting with formaldehyde. Monohaloamines, as well as dihaloamines (NHCl₂, NHBr₂), compete to react with cyanide ion, an intermediate product, to form either ClCN or BrCN. Furthermore, a study suggests (Trofe, ES&T 1980:14:5) that the dihaloamine bromochloramine (NHBrCl) might also form from the reaction of NH₂Cl with Br^-. The objective of this study is to develop a kinetic model that predicts the formation of cyanogen halides during chloramination of waters containing bromide ion. The current phase of the study focuses on determining the kinetics of bromochloramine formation and its potential reaction with cyanide ion.

Advances in Drinking Water Disinfection and Disinfection Byproduct Management
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Environmental Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008