A Novel Procedure of Total Organic Carbon Analysis for Water Samples Containing Suspended Solids with Alkaline Extraction and Homogeneity Evaluation by Turbidity

Han-Saem Lee, Jin Hur, Yu-Hoon Hwang and Hyun-Sang Shin
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Han-Saem Lee: Department of Environment Energy Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea
Jin Hur: Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea
Yu-Hoon Hwang: Department of Environment Energy Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea
Hyun-Sang Shin: Department of Environment Energy Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: This study was conducted to develop and validate a more reliable total organic carbon (TOC) analytical procedure for water samples containing suspended solids (SS). The effects of the combined ultrasonic and alkaline pretreatment (CULA) on the TOC measurement were studied in water samples containing SS from three origins (algae, sewage particles, and soil) under different analytical conditions (SS concentration, oxidation methods, and sieve size). The applicability of turbidity as a homogeneity index was also evaluated. With CULA, TOC recovery remained high (>80%) for SS concentration ranges up to four times larger than ultrasonic pretreatment alone (UL) due to enhanced particulate organic carbon (POC) solubilization, and did not significantly differ depending on the oxidation methods, at low SS concentrations, or with varying sieve sizes. In particular, the turbidity change rate (i.e., NTU 5 /NTU 0 ) of the pretreated water sample showed a high correlation with TOC precision ( r 2 = 0.73, p < 0.01), which suggests that turbidity can be used as an indicator of sample homogeneity. A novel TOC analytical procedure is expected to be useful for more accurate assessments of the impact of particulate pollutants on water quality than current methods, and for the analysis of the carbon cycle, including POCs, in the environment.

Keywords: total organic carbon; suspended solids; ultrasonication; alkaline extraction; turbidity; analytical procedure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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