Evaluation and Comparison of Conventional and Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Removal of PPCPs and EDCs and Their Effect on THM-Formation Potentials

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and disinfection by-products are suspected to have potential adverse impact on humans and hence their elimination during drinking water treatment is often desired or regulated. Based on pilot-plant experiments with three raw water sources, conventional treatment poorly removed the selected PPCPs and EDCs, while ozone/H2O2 and UV/H2O2 (both) with conventional treatment effectively removed PPCPs and EDCs. In most of the experiments, ozone/H2O2 + conventional treatment additionally removed THM formation potentials (THM-FPs) compared to those of conventional treatment. However, UV/H2O2 treatment was found to increase THM-FPs compared to conventionally treated water.