Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

2656

Date

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Chemistry

Concentration

Analytical Chemistry

Committee Chair

Paul S Simone

Committee Member

Xiaohua Huang

Committee Member

Chunrong Jia

Committee Member

Randel Cox

Abstract

Drinking water contaminants exist in many different forms and come from a variety of different natural or anthropogenic sources. Some of these drinking water contaminants can be harmful to human life due to their toxic nature. Due to their harmful nature many of these contaminants are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Two types of these regulated contaminants include hexavalent chromium and disinfection by-products. With growing concerns about hexavalent chromium contaminating drinking water supplies a comprehensive study of hexavalent chromium sources were evaluated to determine if alternative sources of hexavalent chromium are contributing to drinking water contamination. The study evaluted the possibility that hexavalent chromium could be added unintentionally to drinking water via sodium hypochlorite solutions used to disinfect drinking water. The stability as well as the oxidation states of chromium was also explored. In addition, a new method for detecting trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids was achieved. This method allows for the detection of both classes of compounds in one chromatographic analysis at the ug L-1 level by the use of gas chromatography with electron capture detection and dimethyl sulfate chemistry. As an alternative to measuring trihalomethane concentrations in drinking water many water treatment plants rely on the use of empirical models. In an effort to improve the way in which these models are used by water treatment plants, a new way of calibrating these empirical models was created. These models were calibrated using the Trihalomethane Rapid Response unit and used to predict trihalomethane concentration over a year later within 2 ug L-1 of measured concentrations.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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