Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the characteristics of dissolved organics based on their origins, which were divided into two categories. The first group consisted of river, lake and secondary sewage treatment effluent, which were chosen as representative of their origins. The second group were artificial samples which were made of AHA(Aldrich humic acids) and WHA(Wako humic acids). Physicochemical characteristics, biological degradability and THMEP(trihalomethane formation potential) of the samples were analysed based on the AMWD(apparent molecular weight distribution). Large portion of dissolved organic carbon(DOC) in the river and lake samples was comprised of LMW(low molecular weight), which that of AHA and WHA was HMW(high molecular weight). The DOC of the lake was evenly distributed in the all range of molecular weight. The river, lake and secondary treated effluent have lower ultraviolet(UV) absorbance at 254nm, and have a higher amount of humic acids. Higher absorbance of humic acids means that aliphatic bond and benzenoid type components that absorb UV light were contained in these kind of humic acids. It was expected that lake sample was the most biodegradable in the different samples investigated, and in order of secondary sewage treatment effluent, river, WHA and AHA based on the result of determination of specific ultraviolet absorbance(SUVA). Biodegradability showed similar result except for AHA, while dissolved organics in the range of LMW decreased during the biodegradability test, and on the contrary those of HMW increased. Production of the SMPs(soluble micobial products) was observed during humicfication of dissolved organics and the SMPs were higher production of the SMPs. THM formation was high in the samples containing HMW and similar tendency was shown in the THMEP(trihalomethane formation potential), except for WHA.
