Overview of Environmental Chemistry, Career Options

and a Touch of Drinking Water Disinfection Chemistry

Gary L. Emmert

Mobile Analytical Monitoring & Modeling Laboratory

Associate Dean of Natural Sciences

and Professor of Chemistry

Founder and

Chief Executive Officer

The Elements of old…

Air…Water… Earth (Soil)… and add Fire (light) to energize the transformations (reactions) among the elements

Cl2 + 2H2O ⇌ HOCl + H3O+ + Cl―

HOCl + H2O ⇌ OCl― + H3O+

Water Chlorination is the Most Common Form of

Water Disinfection in the United States

Free Available Chlorine :

Total concentration of Cl2 + HOCl + OCl―

Changing Strategies toward Drinking Water Disinfection

Changing Strategies toward Drinking Water Disinfection

Changing Strategies toward Drinking Water Disinfection

Changing Strategies toward Drinking Water Disinfection

Drinking Water Disinfection By-Products (DBPs)

The DBPs produced depend largely on which

chemical disinfectant is used.

Chlorinated water -- (two common classes)

Trihalomethanes (THM4)

Haloacetic acids (HAA5).

“Maximum Contaminant Levels” set by

EPA for finished water.

THM4 MCL for Total-THM4 = 0.080 mg/L (80 g/L)

CHCl3

Chloroform

CHBrCl2

Bromodichloro-

methane

CHBr2Cl

Dibromochloro-

methane

CHBr3

Bromoform

HAA5 MCL for Total-HAA5 = 0.060 mg/L (60 g/L)

CH2ClCO2H

MCAA

CHCl2CO2H

DCAA

CCl3CO2H

TCAA

CH2BrCO2H

MBAA

CHBr2CO2H

DBAA

HAA9 HAA5 plus four unregulated, but important HAAs

CHBrClCO2H

BCAA

CBrCl2CO2H

BDCAA

CBr2ClCO2H

DBCAA

CBr3CO2H

TBAA

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Introduction

Government regulations with regard to DBPs are becoming

stricter

Many utilities struggle each year to meet these regulations –

especially THMs and HAAs

Daily process control strategies - optimize treatment

practices aimed at minimizing THMs and HAAs

But, come on, this is the US of A –

are they really a problem…?

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Legal Violations for THMs across the United States

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Legal Violations for HAAs across the United States

Emmert, G.L., Cao, G., Geme, G., Joshi, N. and

Rahman, M. (2004) Methods for real-time

measurement of THMs and HAAs in distribution

systems. AWWARF and AWWA, Denver, CO.

Water Research Foundation Project 2873

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Emmert, G.L., Brown, M.A., Simone, P.S.,

Geme, G and Cao, G. (2007) Methods for

real-time measurement of THMs and HAAs in

distribution systems Phase II. AWWARF and

AWWA, Denver, CO.

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Commercialized Version of Capillary

Membrane Sampling-Gas Chromatograph

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Capillary Membrane Sampler

Tube within a Tube Sampling

Configuration

Functions as its own calibration

and sampling vessel

Relatively simple alternative on-

line sampling device

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Fully automated sampling, data collection and reporting

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Amy Literature Model

Amy Calibrated Model

Amy Calibrated Model used as a Predictive Tool

Amy Literature Model used as a Predictive Tool

Why model when you can measure?

• Allow rural water utilities access to the same tools used by

large metropolitan water treatment plants

• Mobile laboratory “shared” by three rural water treatment

plants—share in use and share in the cost

• Calibrate model for ~10 days at one water treatment plant,

then use typical parameters to predict THMs for ~20 days.

• Cycle through each member in the Cooperative

approximately once every 30 days

USDA-SBIR

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Robyn Snow, Ph.D. and her prototype HAA-RR System, Lebanon, TN 2018

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Need a “HAAs meter”

• allows for a real-time response

• proactive intervention

• control strategies optimized on the fly

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International Space

Station (ISS)

Is water really that important for space missions?

Is water really that important for space missions?

• The cost of putting an object in orbit is estimated

to be ~ $16,000 per pound.

•Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon.

•1 liter of water in space ~$32,000!!!

•You thought bottled water was expensive…

Is water really that important for space missions?

• The cost of putting an object in orbit is estimated

to be ~ $16,000 per pound.

•Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon.

•1 liter of water in space ~$32,000!!!

•You thought bottled water was expensive…

The number one factor limiting the number of mission

personnel is the amount of available drinking water.

Silver (I) Ion

Sensor-On-a-Valve

Iodine –

Sensor-On-a-Valve

Lead –

Sensor-On-a-Valve

Three in One – Multipurpose Chemical Analyzer for Space

Externally funded research that is both

“down to earth” and “out of this world”

since 1997

Mobile Analytical Monitoring & Modeling Laboratory

MAMML (current group):Naga Bopanna Drake Williams

Madison Herbert Melissa Alfonso

MAMML Alumni:Dr. Paul Simone, The University of Memphis

Dr. Michael Brown, Foundation Instruments, Inc.

Dr. Gija Geme, Southern Arkansas University

Dr. Lucy Thurston, Marathon Oil, Houston, TX

Ms. Neena Joshi, (MS) Agilent

Dr. Gang Cao, Ph.D., U of Florida

Dr. Md. Rahman,

Dr. Patricia L. Ranaivo,

Dr. Meggan Larson, 3M

Mr. Will Stephens, (MS), SanTan Brewery, St. Louis, MO

Dr. Cynthia Choo, Georgia Pacific, Inc., Memphis, TN

Dr. Jill P. Williamson, NASA-Marshall SFC

Dr. Aaron Brown, Cordant Health Solutions, Flagstaff, AZ

Dr. Christina Henson, Buckman Int. Labs

Dr. Heather Fleming, Buckman Int. Labs

Mr. Dylan Benningfield (MS)

Ms. Noel Harris (MS), Shelby County Schools

Dr. Thomas Watts III

Dr. Robyn A. Snow, Coast Guard Academy Faculty

PittCon 2011, Atlanta, GA

PittCon 2014, Chicago, IL