Reactivity of natural organic matter fractions with chlorine dioxide and ozone

The effects of ozone and chlorine dioxide on the aquatic natural organic matter (NOM) were studied. The natural as well as oxidised organic matter in aerated and sand filtered water were fractionated using XAD, anion-exchange, and cation-exchange resins procedure into humic acid, hydrophobic acids and neutrals, and hydrophilic acids, bases and neutrals. The main NOM components were hydrophobic, while oxidation with both ozone and chlorine dioxide increased the proportion of hydrophilic fractions. High-pressure size exclusion chromatography with UV-254 nm and UV-220 nm detection was used to determine the differences between molecular weight distribution of natural and oxidised organic matter fractions. The main purpose of this paper was to compare the reactivity of individual NOM fractions with oxidants in order to compare the productivity of biodegradable by-products after oxidation with chlorine dioxide and ozone. The quantity as well as the quality of by-products were analysed by means of ion and gas chromatography.