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Abiotic Effects on Effluent Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Along an Estuarine Transect
Author(s) -
Funkey Carolina P.,
Latour Robert J.,
Bronk Deborah A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143014x14062131178231
Subject(s) - effluent , estuary , environmental science , abiotic component , transect , nitrogen , environmental chemistry , environmental engineering , ecology , chemistry , biology , organic chemistry
Biological nutrient removal is a process commonly used in water resource recovery facilities to reduce dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in effluent; this process is less effective at removing all of the effluent dissolved organic nitrogen (EDON). The goal of this study was to investigate the fate of EDON after it undergoes the disinfection process and enters receiving waters. The authors quantified the abiotic effects of effluent exposure to sunlight, increased salinity, and a combination of the two factors. Effluent dissolved organic nitrogen showed significant breakdown during the disinfection process (UV and chlorine) and when exposed to sunlight and increasing salinity. Approximately 7% of the EDON was transformed to DIN and dissolved primary amines after exposure to 9 hours of sunlight and a salinity increase from 0 to 33. The production of DIN and primary amines should be taken into account when considering sources of labile nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems.