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OXIDATION-REDUCTION POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS OF IMPORTANT OXIDANTS IN DRINKING WATER
Citation:
Copeland, A. AND D. A. LYTLE. OXIDATION-REDUCTION POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS OF IMPORTANT OXIDANTS IN DRINKING WATER. Journal AWWA. American Water Works Association, Denver, CO, 106(1):E10-E20, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions are important in drinking water treatment and distribution. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) measurements of water reflect the tendency of major constituents in the water to accept or lose electrons. Although ORP measurements are valuable and can provide useful information toward protecting public health, they are not widely performed by the drinking water community for a variety of reasons. The objective of this research is to report the impact of five oxidants commonly used in drinking water as well as the pH on the measured ORP of water. Results show that the ORP of each oxidant system increased with increasing oxidant concentration to a maximum and decreased with increasing pH. Chlorine and chlorine dioxide waters had the greatest ORP followed by water containing monochloramine and permanganate, and water containing only oxygen. Duplicate ORP measurements revealed some inconsistencies with redox electrode measurements.
