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TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON ANALYZERS AS TOOLS FOR MEASURING CARBONACEOUS MATTER IN NATURAL WATERS
Citation:
Urbansky*, E T. TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON ANALYZERS AS TOOLS FOR MEASURING CARBONACEOUS MATTER IN NATURAL WATERS. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING 3(1):102-112, (2001).
Description:
For some utilities, new US drinking water regulations may require removal of disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor material as a means of mimnimizing DBP formation. The EPa's Stage 1 DBP Rule relies on total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations as a measure of the effectiveness of treatment techniques for removing organic material that could act as DBP precursors. Accordingly, precise and accurate methods are needed for the determination of TOC and DOC concentrations in raw and finished potable water supplies. This report describes the current analytical technologies and summarizes the key factors affecting measurement quality. It provides a look into the fundamental principles and workings of TOC anallyzers. Current peroxydisulfuric acid wet ashing methods and combustion methods are discussed. Issues affecting quality control, such as nonzero blanks and preservation, are covered. Some of the difficulties in analyzing water for TOC and DOC that were identified up to 20 years ago remain problematic still today. Limitations in technology, reagent purity, operator skill and knowledge of natural organic matter (NOM) can preclude the level of precision and accuracy desirable for compliance monitoring.