The importance of temperature on Henry's‐law solubility constants: Removing trihalomethanes by aeration

Abstract

AbstractMany small drinking water systems have faced, or are facing, difficulties in meeting U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Aeration is a technology that could be effective in helping small systems meet trihalomethane standards, but its effectiveness is based on Henry's law. Henry's law governs the relationship between the concentration of a volatile organic chemical in liquid and the gas' vapor pressure over that liquid. The higher the Henry's‐law constant, the more readily the compound can be transferred from water to air. Henry's‐law constant is independent of flow rate but, as discussed in this article, is a function of temperature. This article provides information on the relationship of temperature to the value of Henry's‐law constants with the goal of assisting water system managers and operators in optimizing aeration for removing disinfection byproducts.