CHEMetrics helps establish PAA Standard Method
CHEMetrics has contributed to the development of first approved procedure for measuring peracetic acid (PAA) residuals in wastewater. In collaboration with colleagues from across the wastewater analysis industry and related regulatory agencies, CHEMetrics Research and Development Director Joanne Carpenter (pictured below) led the Standard Methods Joint Task Group to validate a legacy technique for a new application: measurement of Peracetic Acid in wastewater using the DPD Method. The group’s work led to the PAA residual analysis method's publication in APHA Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater which covers all aspects of water and wastewater analysis techniques. Standard Methods is a joint publication of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF).
A Standard Methods Joint Task Group of PAA stakeholders formed in 2017 representing USEPA’s Office of Water/Engineering and Analysis Division (EAD), Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) operations personnel, engineering consulting firms, PAA suppliers, and test kit vendors, including CHEMetrics. They began efforts to establish a new method for the analysis of PAA based on the well-established N-N-diethyl–p-phenylenediamine (DPD) method.
Bulk wastewater samples solicited from POTWs were used to prepare test samples for the validation study while test kit vendors provided materials and equipment. The group assembled seven analysts who, under the direction of the study monitor, prepared and distributed blind test samples. The group’s work led to the method’s publication in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, Method 4500-PAA, in 2019.
Carpenter also shared the group’s findings in a case study (‘DPD Legacy Method Applied to Peracetic Acid’) presented at the 2019 National Environmental Monitoring Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.
Click the icon to the left to watch the CHEMetrics video:
‘Carpenter & CHEMetrics: Leading the Way Toward Greener Wastewater Treatment Methods’.
‘The push to develop a standard method for the analysis of peracetic acid is part of a larger effort to advance PAA as a disinfectant in wastewater treatment,’ says Carpenter. ‘I’m proud to have worked with distinguished colleagues from across the country to complete this important project.’
With the development of this new PAA-specific method, wastewater professionals may now accurately measure outflow residuals in order to remain compliant with national guidelines. Click here to learn more about CHEMetrics Peracetic Acid test kit product line.
