ABSTRACT
Analyses of organics are made to evaluate possible effects of health of water consumers, measure the efficiency of waste treatment processes, and assess the quality of the receiving waters. Determination of some organic compounds, including pesticides and trihalomethanes in drinking water, is mandatory. This chapter deals with the determination of total amount of organic matter present. Biochemical oxygen demand determines the oxygen required to oxidize the organic matter in the sample, through the agency of microorganisms. Chemical oxygen demand is a measure of the oxygen equivalent of the organic matter content in the sample, which is sensitive to strong oxidizing agent. Total organic carbon represents many different compounds and oxidation states. Recent advances in the ability to analyze for extremely low concentrations of contaminants in water have shown that man-made organic chemicals occur in many groundwater supplies. Conventional treatment techniques do not remove organic pollutants. Only two methods are shown to be successful: aeration and adsorption using granular activated carbon.
