Contributions of volatilization, photolysis, and biodegradation to N‑nitrosodimethylamine removal in conventional drinking water treatment plants

N‑nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was detected in the source water of some Chinese drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), which decreased in concentration along the treatment train. Volatilization, photolysis, and/or biodegradation were suspected of being capable of attenuating NDMA. In this study, the contribution of these mechanisms to NDMA removal was investigated by a field study in a conventional DWTP with aerated bio-pretreatment, as well as in laboratory-based experiments. The effluent of each unit process (i.e., aerated bio-pretreatment tank, horizontal sedimentation tank, sand filter) of this DWTP was sampled in the winter and summer, and the concentration of NDMA, its formation potential, and other water quality parameters were measured. NDMA removal by volatilization and biodegradation was simulated in batch experiments, and that by photolysis was calculated with parameters reported in the literature. The sampling results indicated that the aerated biofilm reactor of this DWTP removed 48% of the NDMA in August and 22% in December. According to modeling results, it could be well explained by photolysis (NDMA removal of 51% in summer and 25% in winter) and biotreatment (NDMA removal of 0.2–12% in summer and 0.1–6.1% in winter), with little contribution from aeration (NDMA removal of 0.8%). The sampling results indicated that the sedimentation tank removed 19% of NDMA in August and 9.2% in December. According to modeling results, it could be well explained by photolysis (NDMA removal of 16% in August and 9.4% in December), but little by volatilization. Thus, photolysis was shown to be the most important process for NDMA removal in this DWTP. Further investigation is needed to better understand NDMA removal during biotreatment. [Display omitted] •NDMA could be degraded during water treatment processes.•Photolysis plays the most important role in removing NDMA in conventional DWTPs.•NDMA removal in biotreatment can't be ignored and needs further investigation.•Volatilization presented negligible NDMA removal.