Using TOC for Best Management Practices Monitoring, 2000 Environmental Conference Proceedings

- R. Whiteman, H. Noel, P. Stuart -- The Cluster Rule requires certain mill subcategories to implement various Best Management Practices (BMP's) for control of organic effluent discharges, such as spent liquor, soap and turpentine. Various in-process and effluent streams must be monitored in order to detect spills before downstream processes are seriously impacted. Specifically, the regulation requires that "organic load" be monitored into treatment. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) are being considered by mills as surrogates for organic load measured as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). Both COD and TOC are simple tests, however TOC can be done off-line or on-line providing true, real-time control. This paper discusses different types of TOC methods and the advantages and disadvantages of TOC for BMP's both off-line and on-line. A case study of the use of on-line TOC will be presented from a Kraft Mill in the Northeast USA.