Wastewater abiotic transformations

Research to date has focused primarily on azo and anthraquinone dyes, due to their commercial importance. Environmental processes including biodegradation, photolysis, sorption to soils and sediment, and abiotic transformation in sediment /water systems have been studied. The quantity of dyes apparently entering and potentially passing through wastewater treatment systems unaltered has prompted research on the behavior of these chemicals in biological and other types of wastewater treatment systems. 

Another potential abiotic reaction for transformation products is photolysis during ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. However, significant direct photolysis of low- and sub- xg/l concentrations of transformation products would generally be unlikely in water treatment, for several reasons. First, relatively low UV doses are typically used for disinfection in water treatment plants (e.g., 30-40 mj/cm ) (Crittenden et al. 2005), while higher dosages are required for wastewater treatment. 

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