An automatic microanalysis method for the determination of organic carbon in wastes

Abstract

An automatic microanalysis method for the determination of total organic carbon (TOC) in organic wastes is proposed. This method is quick, reliable, accurate, and able to overcome the interference of carbonate‐carbon. The obtained values for TOC in 38 samples consisting of city refuse, sewage sludges, manures, and plant residues are correlated with those of oxidable organic carbon (OXC) measured by the traditional method of Walkley and Black duly adapted to organic materials, and the linear, power, and exponential regression equations are calculated. The use of the equations easily allows to transform the values of OXC into the corresponding values of TOC, the former being within the range of 74.59% to 97.38% of the latter depending on the kind of waste.