Method Development and Analysis of 19 Taste & Odor Compounds in Drinking Water Following SM 6040DDrinking Water
Oral Presentation
Prepared by K. Kohoutek1, H. Adams2, S. Reeder2, M. Ashman3, E. Morales4, C. Hoppe-Jones1
1 - American Water, 1115 South Illinois St., Belleville, IL, 62220, United States
2 - Cypress Environmental Laboratory, City of Wichita Falls – Water Source & Purification Divisions, 4801 Big Ed Neal Drive, Wichita Falls, TX, 76310, United States
3 - Aqua Pennsylvania, 762 W. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA, 19010, United States
4 - Weck Laboratories, 14859 Clark Avenue, Industry, CA, 91745, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 618-210-8958
ABSTRACT
Drinking water samples are routinely tested for aesthetic water quality concerns such as the Taste & Odor (T&O) compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) by solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) following Standard Method (SM) 6040D. However, public water systems (PWSs) would benefit from a more robust T&O method, encompassing a diverse range of compounds, to monitor systems from source to tap to inform treatment decisions.
In this work, SM 6040D was revised to include 19 T&O compounds from multiple odor categories including earthy, musty, grassy, woody, fishy, septic, fruity, and sweet. Calibration ranges were chosen to bracket Odor Threshold Concentrations for each compound when possible. Method development, sample preparation improvements, holding times, and analysis of the expanded list of compounds will be discussed. Four laboratories with different instrumentation, columns, and SPME fibers participated in an interlaboratory comparison study, and method performance, accuracy, precision, reproducibility, and ruggedness will be examined. Additionally, method application through the analysis of source water, treated water, and reclaimed water will be reviewed.
