Adsorbable Organically Bound Halogens (AOX)
In several countries (mostly European), Absorbable Organically Bound Halogens (AOX) is considered to be important consented discharge parameter for water treatment effluents, and the AOX concentration is a routinely monitored parameter.
Enviros, in common with most in the UK, holds the view that AOX is not a relevant water quality parameter for these effluents. When we have sought to correlate toxicity against AOX we have failed to find a meaningful correlation.
In more detail:
Definition of AOX: Adsorbable Organic Halogens (AOX) (as it is also known) is a measurement often used in waste water testing to indicate the overall level of the halogens; fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. This "sum parameter" comes from a standard analytical procedure, which gives no information on the source or nature of halogens present nor on their toxicity. 
It has the advantage of being simple to measure; alternative methods of measuring levels of individual compounds are complex and require costly equipment.
Although AOX is simple to measure, it does not make it worth measuring.
|
Newsletter