Application of Fractionation of Natural Organic Materials and Aluminium in Water Treatment Optimization

The aim of this paper is to describe the efficiency of natural organic matter (NOM) and Al in water treatment. NOM can be removed from drinking water by chemical treatment based on its destabilization and aggregation. The coagulation conditions (dose of destabilization agent and pH) were optimized to obtain the maximum NOM and Al removal. Fractionation was used to improve the characterization of NOM and Al in the treated water. The fractionation could help in understanding which of the NOM and Al fractions are difficult to remove in water treatment. The raw water was taken from a water reservoir and tested in laboratory using jar tests. The optimized doses of destabilization agents are characterized by the lowest concentration of the total reactive Al and a low concentration of dissolved organic Al. The doses influence in particular the removal of charged hydrophilic and hydrophobic acid fractions. The efficiency of removal of neutral hydrophilic fraction was very low (13 %).