AWWA ACE58254

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) has not received much attention by the drinking water community despite the potential role of DON on disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation and speciation, biostability of raw and finished water, and membrane fouling. The European Community directive has a maximum admissible concentration for org-N of 1 mg Kjeldhal-N/L (DON+NH4 +), but the U.S. has no similar guidelines. Currently, there are no reports of DON fate during water treatment. Furthermore, some chemicals added during water treatment (e.g., polymers) contain organic nitrogen and their contribution to DON in finished water has largely been overlooked. As a first step in understanding the fate of DON during water treatment, this paper provides evidence that some forms of DON are removed during alum coagulation. Includes 10 references.