Trihalomethane formation potential of shrimp farm effluents in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand

TLDR: Songklanakarin et al. as discussed by the authors evaluated the trihalomethane formation potential of shrimp farm effluents along Bangpakong River in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, were shown to be in the range of 810-3,100 μg/L.

Abstract: Mangmeechai, A., Chaiwatpongsakorn, C., Marhaba, T.F., Wattanachira, S., and Pavasant, P. Trihalomethane formation potential of shrimp farm effluents in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol., 2004, 26(Suppl. 1) : 185-198 Shrimp farm effluents along Bangpakong River in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, were evaluated for their trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), which were shown to be in the range of 810-3,100 μg/L. Samples from river locations, both upstream and downstream from these selected farms, were also tested for their existing THMFP. These river samples were illustrated to have notably lower level of THMFP M.Sc. (Environmental Management), National Research Center for Environmental and Hazardous Waste Management (NRC-EHWM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand, Ph.D. (Environmental Engineering), Assoc. Prof., Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology , University Heights Newark, NJ 07102, USA, Ph.D. (Environmental Engineering), Asst. Prof., Department of Environmental Engineering/NRC-EHWM, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50000 , Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering), Assoc. Prof., Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand. Corresponding e-mail: prasert.p@chula.ac.th Received, 24 March 2004 Accepted, 10 May 2004 Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 26 (Suppl. 1) 2004 : Environmental & Hazardous Management 186 Trihalomethane formation shrimp farms Mangmeechai, A., et al. than the shrimp farm effluents. The downstream concentration was, however, found to be significantly higher than the upstream (as much as 5 times). This indicated that the contamination of shrimp farm effluents could have increased the formation potential of THMs in the natural water source. The experimental results showed a positive correlation between salinity and THMFP. The formation of various THM species depended significantly on the level of salinity in the water sample. Low salinity (0-5 ppt) often led to a high formation of chloroform and bromodichloromethane while high salinity (5-15 ppt) resulted in a great quantity of dibromochloromethane and bromoform. FTIR spectra of the samples before and after chlorination suggested that the functional groups involved in the reaction were hydroxyl group, amines group, aromatic ring, aliphatic chloro compounds and aliphatic bromo compounds, whereas C-O was the product from the reaction.