Determination of Organic Compound Classes Using Research and Regulatory Analytical Techniques for the Demonstration Project: Research Project Summary
Date
2017-04
Date Removed
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Trenton, N.J. : Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Science, Research and Environmental Health
Abstract
This research demonstrated the ability to track trace-level unregulated contaminants through the treatment train at
two water treatment facilities that are within the capture zone of a hazardous waste plume. Sample collection
initiated in April 2011 and sampling continued through 2014 at the Merchantville/Pennsauken Water Treatment
Plant Marion Avenue Facility (MPW) in Camden County and the Fair Lawn Cadmus Avenue Facility in Bergen
County. Each facility utilized air-stripping technology to remove regulated VOC contamination prior to
implementation of GAC treatment. This research evaluated the removal/reduction efficiency of physical adsorption
technologies to reduce the levels of trace organic compounds using three types of commercially available granular
activated carbon (GAC). Monitoring the actual efficiency of the removal media, like granular activated carbon, does
not routinely occur at low parts-per-trillion concentration levels. Typically, pilot or bench-scale column studies have
focused on sorptive capacity with spiked chemicals at part-per-million concentrations rather than ambient level,
(part-per-trillion), concentrations to determine removal efficiency. Often the media is evaluated at concentrations
that are orders of magnitude higher than the levels in the water due to limitations of traditional measurement
methods. Thus, the sorption efficiency, molecular diffusion into the GAC pore structure, and other physical sorption
phenomena do not represent the trace organic matrix condition that the media is actually exposed to under normal
operational conditions. Therefore, it was the objective of this study to measure the efficiency of the media at ambient
parts per trillion levels. This research utilized both optimized regulatory analytical methodology in conjunction with
state-of-the-art analytical research methods to determine the full scale activated carbon treatment removal
efficiencies of unregulated contaminants in ground water. Although the three different carbon types evaluated were
similar in performance, the data indicated that performance differences existed in the GAC material and were related
to the polarity of the observed unregulated contaminants. The New Jersey Department of Health analytical method
identified very low levels of unregulated nonpolar contaminants throughout the drinking water treatment train. The
percentage of TICs removed to below detection limit as analyzed by the 525.2LL method for both systems
represented a 91-99% reduction. On the other hand, the Rutgers EOHSI laboratory technique identified a select
few, more-polar compounds, which passed through the treatment train to delivered drinking water. The percentage
of TICs removed to below detection limit as analyzed by the Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) method for both
systems represented a 72-85% reduction. Given the difference in preferential adsorption and removal by the GAC
materials, none of the three carbon types can be used alone to remove the full suite of observed polar and nonpolar organic compounds
Description
Keywords
Drinking water - Purification, Organic compounds - Analysis, Drinking water - Analysis, Drinking water - Organic compound content