1. What is the UV254 water quality test parameter?

UV254, also known as the Spectral Absorption Coefficient (SAC), is a water quality test
parameter which utilizes light at the UV 254nm wavelength to be able to detect organic
matter in water and wastewater. This is due to the fact that most organic compounds
absorb light at the UV 254nm wavelength.
Unlike other organic test parameters, UV254 has a bias towards reactive or aromatic
organic matter which has double bonded ring structures and is typically the most
problematic form of organics in water.
UV254 is typically represented as a calculation of UV absorbance (UVA) or UV
transmittance (UVT).

2. What is UV Transmittance (UVT)?

UVT is a relative measurement. It is essentially a measure of how much light passes
through a water sample compared with how much light passes through a pure water
sample. The sample water measurement is actually divided by the pure water
measurement and then converted to a percentage. Therefore, any unit of measure of the
light itself is cancelled in the division. An example of a UVT measurement would be
96.4% UVT. Pure water (DI water) will read 100% UVT, and completely opaque water will
read 0% UVT.
Typically UVT is only used to refer to the transmittance of light at the 254nm wavelength
since its application is usually for UV disinfection system dosing.
UVT will be different for different path lengths. Because the UVT varies with path length
and the concentration of matter, the UVT is usually expressed with the assumption that a
1 cm path length is used so that the UVT provides a measure of matter in the water
independent of path length.

3. What is UV Absorbance (UVA)?

The UV absorbance is calculated as a relative measure of the amount of light absorbed
by a water sample compared with the amount of light absorbed by a pure water sample.
The sample water measurement is actually divided by the pure water measurement
before a logarithm is calculated. Therefore, any unit of measure of the light itself is
cancelled in the division. An example of an absorbance measurement would be 0.1
A/cm. Pure water (DI water) will read 0.0 A, and completely opaque water will
theoretically read infinity A, due to the logarithm.
However, practical instrument limits require maximum absorbance ranges far less than
infinity. Real Tech's highest organics ranges are 8.0 A, which corresponds to much higher
organics levels than are present in even Real Tech's highest organics laden applications.

4. What should I measure....UVT or UVA?

Since UVT and UVA are related mathematically, no actual information is lost in choosing
one parameter over the other. UVT is a measure of how much UV light is able to
penetrate through a water sample. The less UV light that is transmitted through the
water, the lower the UVT. UVA is a measure of the absorbance of UV light by matter in
the water. The less UV light transmitted through the water, the higher the UVA.
Generally speaking, UVT is used with UV disinfection systems to aid in the calculation of
UV dose at the 254nm wavelength. UVA is directly proportional to the concentration of
matter in the water and so therefore UVA is generally the measurement of choice for
most applications.

5. How is UVA related to UVT?

UVA and UVT are essentially just different representations of the same physical
phenomenon. They can be related by a simple mathematical expression as follows:
UVA = 2 log10 UVT
which indicates an inverse logarithmic relationship between UVA and UVT.

6. How is it that UVA can refer to both spectral analysis and UV254 analysis?
Although UVA can be used to discuss the absorbance of a substance across the whole
spectrum of UV light, it is also commonly used as the measurement term for the UV254
water quality test parameter. In these circumstances, the term UVA is essentially
referencing just the UV absorbance of one specific wavelength, which is the UV 254nm
wavelength. For example, the Specific UV Absorbance (SUVA) measurement commonly
referenced by the U.S. EPA refers to the UVA measurement as being the UV254 water
quality test parameter. It really comes down to the context in which it is being used.

7. What is SUVA and how is that related to UVA?

The Specific UV Absorbance (SUVA) calculation is typically performed for the purpose of
determining disinfection by-product (DBP) formation potential.
SUVA is simply the UV absorbance at the 254nm wavelength (UVA) divided by the DOC
of a water sample. This allows the aromatic biased UV254 measurement to be
normalized over the overall organic load in the water. A characterization of the
aromaticity of the water independent from the general level of organics in the water can
then be obtained.

A high SUVA indicates that a large portion of the organics present in the water are
aromatic. Since aromatic organics have a greater tendency to react with disinfectants to
create DBPs, a high SUVA indicates there is a high potential for the formation of DBP's.
For further details about measuring SUVA for regulatory purposes click here to link to
EPA Method 415.3

8. What is the relationship between UVA and the concentration of substances in

the water?
UVA is directly proportional to the concentration of matter in the water. UVA is given by
the following equation:
UVA = bc
where is the molar absorbtivity of the particular type of matter in the water sample, b is
the path length of the water sample, and c is the concentration of matter in the water
sample.
Therefore, as an example, if the concentration of organic material in the water were to
double, then the UVA would also double.

9. What types of matter absorb UV light?

Many different substances absorb and scatter UV light including: organic matter, nitrates,
nitrites, colloidal solids, certain metals, pesticides, diesel fuel and more. Different
substances absorb at certain wavelengths of UV light more than others. Some
substances such as colloidal solids tend to scatter UV light more than they absorb it.
Knowing how different substances absorb or scatter UV light allows Real Tech to
measure the levels of these different substances in the water.

10. Which different types of organics absorb UV light?

There are many different types of organics found in water. The organics can be classified
into two main categories aromatic and aliphatic. Both categories of organic matter are
commonly found in water. The structure of aliphatic organics is usually defined by long
molecular chains of carbon atoms, whereas aromatic organics are usually ringed
structures. Highly aromatic organic molecules tend to contain a high number of double
carbon bonds whereas aliphatic organic molecules form mostly single carbon bonds. The
double carbon bonds combined with a ringed molecular structure causes aromatic
molecules to chemically absorb photons of UV light at wavelengths in the upper 200 nm
range exceptionally well. Therefore, if an organic molecule has a good number of double
bonded carbon atoms or has some degree of aromaticity (contains some aromatic ring
structures), then UV light will be absorbed by it.
The Real UV254 series of instruments is useful for detecting the general level of organic
matter in the water. If it is necessary to further characterize the organics or to
compensate for some interfering substances, then the Real Spectrum series is
recommended.

11. How can monitoring UV absorbance at multiple wavelengths of light allow

detection of different substances in the water at the same time?
Different substances in the water tend to absorb different wavelengths of light more than
others. Therefore, different substances will have their own specific spectral absorbance.

This specific spectral absorbance can be used as a signature or finger print to identify
the substance. When multiple substances are present in the water, the spectral
absorbance of each substance will add together at each wavelength to form a resulting
spectral absorbance pattern where the net absorbance at each wavelength is the sum of
the absorbances at that wavelength of each substance. Because each substance's
spectral absorbance is different, it is mathematically possible to extract these individual
spectral absorbances from the resulting summed spectral absorbance using statistical
analysis techniques. This not only allows detection of the different substances, but also
the quantification of the different substances.

12. What are the general biases of all the different organic test parameters?
Although UV254 is an indicator of the total organic level in water, it does have a bias
towards a specific type of organics known as aromatic organics. Other water quality
parameters that measure organics have their own biases. Other organic water quality
parameters include total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC),
chemical oxygen demand (COD), and biological oxygen demand (BOD). TOC indicates
the level of organics in water by measuring the total carbon content and so gives a good
overall level of all organics although inorganic carbon can be a concern. DOC is similar
to TOC except all organic particles larger than 0.45 microns are removed prior to testing.
COD indicates the level of organics by detecting substances that are susceptible to
chemical oxidation. BOD is similar to COD except BOD detects substances that are
susceptible to biological oxidation which indicates biologically active organics.
UV254, TOC, DOC, BOD and COD all provide measures of different aspects of the
organic content of the water. Each of these parameters possesses a certain bias due to
the nature of the particular parameter. However, correlations between the different
organic water quality parameters can be made.
UV spectral analysis provides information specific to each of the above organics
parameters. Using complex statistical analysis UV absorbance can correlate very well to
all parameters. For example, organic matter detected by BOD testing has a spectral
absorbance peak at a higher wavelength than organic matter detected by TOC
instruments. These types of spectral absorbance signatures allow instruments like the
Real Tech's Real Spectrum series to measure and characterize the nature of the
organics better than the other individual organics parameters.

13. Can I correlate UV254 or UVA to other common organics parameters such as
TOC?
There are several water quality parameters other than UV absorbance that are
commonly used to measure organic matter for different water and wastewater treatment
applications as well as industrial effluent monitoring and process control. These include
Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), and Biological Oxygen
Demand (BOD).
Many of these parameters are complicated, time consuming and expensive to test. This

makes them impractical to use for real-time monitoring which is can be vital to the
success of many water and wastewater treatment methods and for process control
applications.
Fortunately, UV absorbance and often UV254 can be used as supplements or surrogates
to these other parameters. Correlations between UV absorbance and UV254 and these
other organic test parameters can easily be made for specific sites.
Given their affordability, ease of use and accuracy, Real Tech's Real Spectrum series
and Real UV254 series instrumentation provide the most practical organic testing
solution. In addition, in many cases after being used as a supplement to other testing
Real Tech's products end up replacing the parameters they are supplementing
altogether.

14. Why is UVA analysis useful for disinfection by-product (DBP) control?
The aromaticity of organic molecules is often expressed as an indication of reactivity. The
reactivity of aromatic organics causes them to react particularly well with chemicals used
in water treatment, such as chlorine, to form various other molecules. For this reason,
when chlorine is added to water as a disinfection method, the organics already present in
the water tend to react with the chlorine. Recently, it was determined that the disinfection
by-products (DBPs) produced by the reaction between the aromatic organics and the
chlorine are carcinogenic for humans. This has lead to great emphasis now being placed
on monitoring and reducing the level of organics in the water before the chlorine is
added.
Real Tech's products are excellent for monitoring organics in water and have a bias
towards the more aromatic organics. Recent studies show the very strong correlation
between UV absorbance at the 254nm wavelength (UV254) and resulting levels of
DBP's. It is this correlation that makes Real Tech's products much more useful for DBP
reduction than TOC instruments that do not have the bias towards the problematic
aromatic organics.

15. What is the purpose of calibration samples when using spectral analysis?
Spectral analysis allows detection and quantification of several substances present in the
water. However, the instrument being used must first know what the spectral absorbance
of the substance should look like. There are some substances that are just simple
compounds and therefore have well known spectral absorbances. These compounds are
relatively easy to identify with spectral analysis. An example of this would be benzene.
This type of compound and its spectral absorbance can easily be added to a spectral
absorbance library and then used as part of a global calibration.
However, there are other substances whose molecular structure is so complex and
varied from one molecule to the next that it does not have a precise spectral absorbance.
Humic acid, commonly found in surface water sources, is an example of such a
substance. That means it is much more difficult to use a one size fits all spectral

absorbance, which in turn makes global calibration more challenging. Because of this, it
is sometimes recommended that a local calibration be performed at the installation site.
This is usually done after installation of the instrument. The instrument runs for a few
days to a couple of weeks, logging all the spectral data as it goes. At the same time
manual grab samples are taken from the sample water and tested for the substances of
interest, as well as any expected background interference source, such as turbidity. The
results of the grab sample tests along with a memory dump from the spectral instrument
are then compared and a local calibration is made. Generally the determination of the
local calibration is done by Real Tech off-site and the local calibration is simply emailed
and installed on the spectral instrument.