Disinfectant residual stability leading to disinfectant decay and by-product formation in drinking water distribution systems: A systematic review

Secondary disinfectants, such as chlorine and chloramine, have been widely applied to minimise microbial risks in drinking water during distribution. Key challenges have included the maintenance of stable concentrations of disinfectant residuals and the control of disinfection by-products that may form as a consequence of residual decay processes. Many factors may influence disinfectant residual stability and the consequential formation of by-products. Thus predictions of disinfectant stability and by-product formation are multifactorial problems, complete with numerous complications of parameter co-dependence and feedback amplification of some key parameters. The aim of this review was to derive an understanding of how disinfectant residual stability in drinking water distribution systems is impacted by various influencing factors such as water quality and operational parameters. Factors known to influence disinfectant stability and by-product formation were critically reviewed. A systematic review method was applied to identify 1809 journal articles published in the two decades from January 1998 to December 2017. From the initial screening, 161 papers were selected for detailed assessment. Important factors were identified to include temperature, water age, piping material, corrosion products, pH, hydraulic condition, disinfectant residual type and dosage and microbial activity. Microbial activity is a particularly complex parameter on which to base predictions since many factors are known to influence the degree and nature of such activity. These include temperature, water age, piping material, corrosion products, nutrients, natural organic matter, hydraulic condition and disinfectant residual type and dosage. Disinfectant types and dosages were found to be among the most important factors. Many knowledge gaps and research needs still remain, including the need for a more complete understanding of the factors that influence the production of nitrogenous disinfection by-products. [Display omitted] •Factors intricately affect disinfectant decay and disinfection byproducts formation.•Influencing factors may lead to positive feedback loops on disinfectant stability.•Microbial activity is the most influencing factor among all other factors.•Pipe material is a major factor (in)directly affecting disinfectant stability.•Proposal for predicting disinfectant residual stability by a Bayesian Network model.