Performance of selected anion exchange resins for the treatment of a high DOC content surface water

The objective of this study was first to compare the performance of four strong anion exchange resins (AERs) (MIEX from Orica Pty Ltd, DOWEX-11 and DOWEX-MSA from DOW chemical and IRA-938 from Rohm and Haas) for their application in drinking water treatment (natural organic matter (NOM), mineral anions (nitrate, sulfate and bromide) and pesticide removal) using bench-scale experimental procedures on a high DOC content surface water. The efficiency of MIEX for NOM and mineral anions removal was furthermore evaluated using bench-scale dose-response experiments on raw, clarified and post-ozonated waters. NOM removal was assessed using the measurement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) and the use of high-performance size exclusion chromatography with UV (HPSEC/UV) and fluorescence detection (HPSEC/FLUO). The MIEX and IRA938 anionic resins exhibit a faster removal of NOM and mineral anions compared to the DOWEX11 and MSA AERs. All the resins were found to be very effective with similar performances after 30 to 45 min of contact time. As expected, only limited sorption of atrazine and isoproturon (C0=1 microg/L) occurred with MIEX, DOWEX11 and MSA AERs. MIEX resin proved to be very efficient in eliminating NOM of high-molecular weight but also a large part of the smallest UV absorbing organic compounds which were refractory to coagulation/flocculation treatment. Remaining DOC levels after 30 min of contact with MIEX were found similar in raw water, clarified water and even post-ozonated water implying no DOC benefit can be gained by employing conventional treatment prior to MIEX treatment. Removal of bromide (initial concentration 110 microg/L) was also observed and ranged from 30% to 65% for resin dose increasing from 2 to 8 mL/L. T