Online TOC monitoring of surface water at airports.

Due to the large sealed surfaces at airports, there are huge amounts of surface water. Especially in winter time, when the planes need to be de-iced, there are a lot of waste water, that is characterized by adhesive (sticky) substances, strongly fluctuating concentrations and a lot of chemicals. The discharge of this polluted water can cause problems in the downstream waste water treatment plants (WWTP). For that reason reliable monitoring is of great importance. The sumparameter TOC was determined as a monitoring parameter in water management at airports. With its determination airport operators can detect quickly high contaminated water, initiate actions against risks and, hence, protect near WWTP's. To provide this, the TOC analysers must be free of memory effects, must offer the TOC value within minutes and must be able to handle strongly fluctuating concentrations.

LAR's QuickTOC_airport is an application-specific online TOC monitoring system that meets these requirements easily. The QuickTOC_airport reliably determines the TOC from the lowest to the highest ranges with the automatic ranging and that in less than three minutes. The analyser uses the catalyst-free thermal combustion at 1,200°C and does not need any sample pre-treatment or dilution.

Moreover, due to its process control, the analyser handles high salt concentrations without clogging and is free of any memory effects. This is realised with the well-designed injection system. Within the QuickTOC_airport the amount of wetted surfaces is reduced to a minimum. The use of inert materials as well as a pump, which is installed downstream of the sample stream, prevent carry-over and memory effects caused by absorption and adsorption.

Thus, airport operators are able to monitor the TOC fast, accurately and easily - even in busy winter season.