Methods for Analyzing Organic Matter in Water

Besides inorganic compounds, water pollutants also contain large amounts of organic matter, which impact ecosystems through toxicity and reduced dissolved oxygen. It has been identified that the vast majority of carcinogens are toxic organic substances, making organic pollution indicators crucial for water quality.

Water contains a wide variety of organic compounds, making it difficult to quantitatively measure each component individually. Currently, the oxygen demand (COD) equivalent to that of organic matter in water is often measured to indirectly characterize organic matter content (e.g., CoD, BOD), or specific types of organic pollutants (e.g., phenols, oils, benzene compounds, organophosphorus pesticides). However, these indicators cannot accurately reflect the pollution status and hazards of many trace organic pollutants. Therefore, with the development of environmental science research and analytical testing technologies, the monitoring and prevention of toxic organic pollution will be significantly strengthened.