Sulfates are one of many natural mineral components that can be found with various concentrations in drinking water, wastewater, and natural water. These concentrations can range from hundreds to thousands mg/L, depending on the environmental location. Sulfate levels in drinking water have been linked to adverse health effects, including diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal problems, nausea, illness, and possibly death. In addition, sulfate levels in the environment have been linked to toxicity in plants and animals, and increases of pH levels in bodies of water. Currently sulfate levels are not monitored consistently in either environmental samples or in drinking water. The goal of this research is to identify the levels in various water samples and determine if the concentration of sulfates needs to be monitored in the environment and in drinking water. This presentation will focus on the use of UV-vis spectroscopy to identify sulfate levels in wastewater samples from a treatment plant, drinking water from a local water company, and natural water from the Susquehanna River and Codorus Creek.

Analysis of sulfate levels in drinking water, wastewater, and natural water using UV-vis spectroscopy

255th National Meeting (2018)

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