The use of TSK size exclusion columns in determination of the quality and quantity of humus in raw waters and drinking waters

Abstract

The usefulness of TSK G2000SW and TSK G3000SW columns, used alone or in tandem, were tested for separating humus in different types of raw waters and drinking waters by size exclusion chromatography. The raw water chromatograms showed characteristically from 5 to 7 UV-absorption peaks for surface water samples and from 2 to 4 peaks for ground water samples. The chromatograms of drinking water samples varied greatly depending on the amounts of humus present in the raw waters and on the effectiveness of the treatment processes. If ground water was used as raw water, the drinking water sample sometimes contained more organic matter than the raw water sample. Only 20 pl of untreated water sample was needed for one chromatogram, and the analysis time was 20 minutes for single columns and 40 minutes for the tandem column. The linear regressions of the sum of five peak heights of TSK G3000SW chromatograms to TOC-,KMnO4-, and colour values gave correlation coefficients of 0.954, 0.959, and 0.915, respectively. The correlation of peak heights to colour values was not linear. In the fractionation experiments, the main part of the observed mutagenic activity eluted from the tandem column in one peak, and the rest of the mutagenicity eluted in the far end of the chromatogram.