A predictive model for the formation potential of dichloroacetamide, a nitrogenous disinfection by-product formed during chlorination

Nitrogenous disinfection by-products have increasingly become a public health concern in the drinking water industry because they have been found to be more geno- and cytotoxic than most of the currently regulated disinfection by-products. Dichloroacetamide, a nitrogenous disinfection by-product which is formed during chlorination in water treatment, has increasingly received attention due to its elevated genotoxicity and cytotoxicity relative to the currently regulated disinfection by-products. In this study, a power function model with parameters of dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, bromide, soluble microbial products, and aromatic proteins was developed to successfully predict dichloroacetamide formation potential. The inclusion of soluble microbial product and aromatic protein into the model significantly improved the prediction, suggesting that soluble microbial product and aromatic protein play a significant role in the formation of dichloroacetamide. Additionally, the performance of the predictive model appeared to be somewhat affected by the characteristics of raw water used to develop the model.