New Treatment Technology Targets TOC/DOC Removal at Florida Utility

摘要

Turn on any tap in Palm Springs, FL, and you will get crystal clear water. It has no odor, no metallic taste and compares favorably with most bottled waters. The residents are, quite naturally, very happy with it. Getting clean, refreshing water in Palm Springs was not an easy task. The ground water supply in South Florida typically contains large amounts of total organic carbon (TOC) in the predominant form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Organic compounds result from the degradation of vegetation that occurs naturally in the local environment. Extensive treatment methods are required to remove the organic material (humic acid) and decolorize the water. Most water utilities disinfect such water with chlorination, a treatment that in the presence of DOC produces such byproducts as trihalometh-anes (THM).