Formation Of Organochlorine By-products During Chlorination Of WastewatersContaining Cyclohexene And Butanol

One of the widely accepted approaches for wastewater treatment in Russia involves its chlorination with the aim of disinfection. The present work deals with formation of organochlorine by-products during treatment of wastewaters containing butanol and cyclohexene. These two chemicals often appear in wastes of various chemical plants. Butanol and cyclohexene were subjected to chlorination in laboratory in conditions close to these used in reality. Aqueous chlorine and sodium hypochlorite were used as chlorination agents. A significant array of organochlorine compounds, including ecotoxicants with pronounced mutagenicity was detected in both cases by means of GC-MS. Volatile and semivolatile products were identified and quantified. A possible environmental hazard of the chlorination of wastewaters containing cyclohexene and butanol was unambiguously demonstrated. Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 49, © 2001 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541