CAOG - PhD Students

Mr Daniel Couton

The Structure, Chemistry and Distribution of Natural Organic Matter in Groundwaters from the Gnangara Mound

A greater understanding of the structure and chemistry of NOM within source waters is needed to develop improved water treatment processes for removal of the problematic fractions of NOM. The Gnangara Mound is a shallow, unconfined aquifer of key strategic importance to Perth's water supply system. Water from the Wanneroo groundwater scheme, currently the largest borefield on the Gnangara Mound, is prone to developing an unpleasant "swampy" odour, caused by dimethyltrisulfide (DMTS). In this project, NOM in water from bores in the Gnangara Mound will be characterised. A combination of techniques, including pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), microscale sealed vessel pyrolysis (MSSV), thermochemolysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, will be used. A number of novel techniques will also be developed and investigated in this project. The techniques developed will be employed on standard humic materials and on NOM isolates to determine structural features of these materials and major inputs into NOM in the Gnangara Mound. These two sample sets should provide a wider validation of these techniques. The effects of environmental factors such as vegetation/land use on NOM will be examined.

Supervisors

Dr C. Joll, Dr A. Heitz, Professor R. Kagi

Funding

APAI, CRCWQT, Water Corporation