TOTAL CARBON (TC)

(Water Quality) A measure of the amount of carbon-containing compounds in water. The measure includes both organic and inorganic forms of carbon as well as compounds that are soluble and insoluble. The typical laboratory analysis involves the conversion of all forms of carbon to carbon dioxide and the subsequent measurement of the carbon dioxide produced. The parameter represents an estimate of the strength of wastewater and the potential damage that an effluent can cause in a receiving stream or other body of water as a result of the removal of Dissolved Oxygen from the water. The measurement of total carbon requires less sample, is more rapid, and yields more reproducible results than the measurement of either the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) or the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). Also see Total Organic Carbon (TOC).