OH radicals are the key oxidants that control most Advanced Oxidation
Processes (AOPs) currently applied in water technology and that also o
ccur in some natural systems such as cloud waters. The efficiencies of
the various OH radical sources can be experimentally quantified and c
ompared when they are calibrated by following the oxidation of inter-c
alibrated reference compounds that react during the process only with
OH radicals. To apply and generalize the results, however, water quali
ty parameters controlling the lifetime of OH radicals via OH-scavengin
g reactions by pollutants and further solutes must also be quantified
by methods that allow for calibrations. (C) 1997 IAWQ. Published by El
sevier Science Ltd.