Full Description

UVsub254/sub and SUVAsub254/sub determinations are used in water treatment to obtain information about the nature of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in water samples. This article presents new information about obtaining accurate results for UVsub254/sub and SUVAsub254/sub (the ratio of UVsub254/sub to the concentration of DOC in the water) in freshwater samples. Although the potential impact of colloidal materials on UVsub254/sub results is mentioned in standard and US Environmental Protection Agency methods, these methods provide no clear guidance for validating such measurements. The main objectives of this research were to examine the effects of colloidal and particulate matter in freshwaters on DOC and UVsub254/sub determinations and to develop some guidelines for filtering freshwater samples with widely varying turbidities. The experimental results showed that the water sample turbidity level and characteristics as well as the nature of the membrane filter pore structures and pore size distribution play important roles in UVsub254/sub and SUVAsub254/sub determinations. Measuring turbidity in the sample filtrate was a simple way to validate UVsub254/sub and SUVAsub254/sub results. The findings of this study will help the water treatment industry obtain more reliable UVsub254/sub and SUVAsub254/sub results and assist in developing improved experimental protocols. Includes 12 references, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. 97 - No. 5 Published: 05/01/2005 Number of Pages: 12 File Size: 1 file , 390 KB