Improved method for the determination of nonpurgeable suspended organic carbon in natural water by silver filter filtration, wet chemical oxidation, and infrared spectrometry

Water Resources Research
By: , and 

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Abstract

Precision and accuracy are reported for the first time for the analysis of nonpurgeable suspended organic carbon by silver membrane filtration followed by wet chemical oxidation. A water sample is pressure filtered through a 0.45‐μm‐pore‐size, 47‐mm‐diameter silver membrane filter. The silver membrane filter then is cut into ribbons and placed in a flame‐sealable glass ampule. The organic material trapped on the membrane filter strips is acidified, purged with oxygen to remove inorganic carbonates and volatile organic compounds, and oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO2) using phosphoric acid and potassium persulfate in the sealed glass ampule. The resulting CO2 is measured by a nondispersive infrared CO2 detector. The amount of CO2 is proportional to the concentration of chemically oxidizable nonpurgeable organic carbon in the environmental water sample. The quantitation and method detection limit for routine analysis is 0.2 mg/L. The average percent recovery in five representative matrices was 97 ± 11%. The errors associated with sampling and sample preparation of nonpurgeable suspended organic carbon are also described.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Improved method for the determination of nonpurgeable suspended organic carbon in natural water by silver filter filtration, wet chemical oxidation, and infrared spectrometry
Series title Water Resources Research
DOI 10.1029/1998WR900052
Volume 35
Issue 1
Year Published 1999
Language English
Publisher American Geophysical Union
Contributing office(s) National Water Quality Laboratory
Description 6 p.
First page 329
Last page 334
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