Dissolved organic matter removal by magnetic anion exchange resin and released ion elimination by electrolysis

• 78% DOC in municipal effluent was removed by magnetic anion exchange resin (NDMP).
• NDMP removed a large portion of humic acid-like and fulvic acid-like substances.
• Chloride released from NDMP was decreased by electrolysis with the removal of 94%.
• Free chlorine generated by electrolysis had a considerable disinfection effect.

For the advanced treatment of municipal effluents, removal of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by a magnetic anion exchange resin and the released chloride ion were both investigated. A total of 78% of dissolved organic carbon was removed at an optimized dosage of 1.0 g resin in 300 mL effluent with a contact time of 60 min. DOM characterization by excitation–emission matrix spectroscopy revealed that humic acid-like substances, fulvic acid-like substances, and a significant portion of soluble microbial products can be efficiently removed by the resin. Ion exchange of humic acid- and fulvic acid-like substances onto resin resulted in an increase of chloride, which can be efficiently decreased by electrolysis. A disinfection effect caused by electrolysis was found as a result of the free chlorine generated from electrolysis. Results suggested that the combination of anion exchange and electrolysis is a feasible advanced treatment of municipal sewage for DOM removal and disinfection.