Relative importance of nitrite oxidation by hypochlorous acid under chloramination conditions

Nitrification can occur in water distribution systems where chloramines are used as the disinfectant. The resulting product, nitrite, can be oxidized by monochloramine and hypochlorous acid (HOCl), potentially leading to rapid monochloramine loss. This research characterizes the importance of the HOCl reaction, which has typically been ignored because of HOCl's low concentration. Also, the general acid-assisted rate constants for carbonic acid and bicarbonate ion were estimated for the monochloramine reaction. The nitrite oxidation reactions were incorporated into a widely accepted chloramine autodecomposition model, providing a comprehensive model that was implemented in AQUASIM. Batch kinetic experiments were conducted to evaluate the significance of the HOCl reaction and to estimate carbonate buffer rate constants for the monochloramine reaction. The experimental data and model simulations indicated that HOCl may be responsible for up to 60% of the nitrite oxidation, and that the relative importance of the HOCl reaction for typical chloramination conditions peaks between pH 7.5 and 8.5, generally increasing with (1) decreasing nitrite concentration, (2) increasing chlorine to nitrogen mass ratio, and (3) decreasing monochloramine concentration. Therefore, nitrite's reaction with HOCl may be important during chloramination and should be included in water quality models to simulate nitrite and monochloramine's fate.