New Methods for Analyzing Water Pollutants

Two new methods have been developed to analyze for organic pollutants in water. The first, two-dimensional gas chromatography, using post detector peak recycling (PDPR), involves the use of a computer-controlled gas Chromatograph to selectively trap compounds of interest and rechromatograph them on a second column, recycling them through the same detector again. The second employs a new detector system, a thermally modulated electron capture detector (TMECD). Both methods were used to demonstrate their utility by applying them to the analysis of a new class of potentially ubiquitous anthropoaqueous pollutants in drinking waters- -haloacetonitriles. These newly identified compounds are produced from certain amino acids and other nitrogen-containing compounds reacting with chlorine during the disinfection stage of treatment.