EPA-RCA: 9060A: Total Organic Carbon in water and wastes by Carbonaceous Analyzer
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Official Method Name
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Method 9060A: Total Organic Carbon |
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Current Revision
| November 2004, Revision 1. |
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Media
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WATER |
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Instrumentation
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Carbon determinator |
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Method Subcategory
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Organic |
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Method Source
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Citation
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Brief Method Summary
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Organic carbon is measured using a carbonaceous analyzer. This instrument converts the organic carbon in a sample to carbon dioxide (CO2) by either catalytic combustion or wet chemical oxidation. The CO2 formed is then either measured directly by an infrared detector or converted to methane (CH4) and measured by a flame ionization detector. The amount of CO2 or CH4 in a sample is directly proportional to the concentration of carbonaceous material in the sample. |
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Scope and Application
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This method is used to determine the concentration of organic carbon in ground water, surface and saline waters, and domestic and industrial wastes. Some restrictions are noted. |
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Applicable Concentration Range
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Above 1 mg/L |
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Interferences
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Carbonate and bicarbonate carbon represent an interference under the terms of this test and must be removed or accounted for in the final calculation. Removal of carbonate and bicarbonate by acidification and purging with nitrogen, or other inert gas, can result in the loss of volatile organic substances. |
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Quality Control Requirements
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Employ a minimum of one blank per sample batch to determine if contamination or any memory effects are occurring. Verify calibration with an independently prepared check standard every 15 samples. Run one spike duplicate sample for every 10 samples. A duplicate sample is a sample brought through the whole sample preparation and analytical process. |
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Sample Handling
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Sampling and storage of samples in glass bottles is preferable. Sampling and storage in plastic bottles such as conventional polyethylene and cubitainers is permissible if it is established that the containers do not contribute contaminating organics to the samples. Because of the possibility of oxidation or bacterial decomposition of some components of aqueous samples, the time between sample collection and the start of analysis should be minimized. Also, samples should be kept cool (4 EC) and protected from sunlight and atmospheric oxygen. In instances where analysis cannot be performed within 2 hr from time of sampling, the sample is acidified (pH # 2) with HCl or H2SO4. |
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Maximum Holding Time
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28 days |
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Relative Cost
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$51 to $200 |
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Sample Preparation Methods
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Not Applicable |
