ASTM_D_2579_-_93e1.pdf

Designation:D 2579 93e1Standard Test Method forTotal Organic Carbon in Water1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 2579;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.Consult the DoD Index of Specifications andStandards for the specific year of issue which has been adopted by the Department of Defense.e1NOTEThe title was corrected,and editorial corrections were made throughout,in March 1994.1.Scope1.1 This test method covers the determination of totalorganic carbon in water and wastewater,including brackishwaters and brines.NOTE1Test Methods D 4129,D 4779,and D 4839 may also be usedto measure carbon in water.1.2 This procedure is applicable only to that carbonaceousmatter in the sample that can be injected into the reaction zone.The syringe needle and injector opening size limit the maxi-mum size of particles that can be injected into the reactionzone.Sludge and sediment samples should be suspended inwater prior to sampling with a micropipet,where applicable.1.3 In addition to laboratory analyses,these procedures maybe applied to stream monitoring.1.4 This test method is applicable to determining totalorganic carbon in water in the range from 2 to 200 mg/L.21.5 It is the users responsibility to ensure the validity of thistest method on water of untested matrices.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety problems,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.For a specifichazard statement,see Note A3.1.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:D 513 Test Methods for Total and Dissolved Carbon Diox-ide in Water3D 1129 Terminology Relating to Water3D 1192 Specification for Equipment for Sampling Waterand Steam3D 1193 Specification for Reagent Water3D 3370 Practices for Sampling Water3D 3694 Practices for Preparation of Sample Containers andfor Preservation of Organic Constituents4D 3856 Guide for Good Laboratory Practices in Laborato-ries Engaged in Sampling and Analysis of Water3D 4129 Test Method for Total and Organic Carbon in Waterby Oxidation and Coulometric Detection4D 4210 Practice for Intralaboratory Quality Control Proce-dures and a Discussion on Reporting Low-Level Data3D 4779 Test Method for Total,Organic,and InorganicCarbon in High Purity Water by Ultraviolet(UV)orPersulfate Oxidation,or Both,and Infrared Detection4D 4839 Test Method for Total Carbon and Organic Carbonin Water by Ultraviolet,or Persulfate Oxidation,or Both,and Infrared Detection43.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms used in these testmethods,refer to Terminology D 1129.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 The water sample is homogenized or diluted,or both,asnecessary.A micro portion is injected into a heated,catalyzedreaction zone in which the carbonaceous matter is converted tocarbon dioxide.A flowing gas stream carries the gaseousreaction products through a detector which measures thecarbon dioxide content of the gas stream.The detector outputis graphically displayed by a recorder.The height of the peakis proportional to the carbon content of the sample.Theproportionality is quantitated by a calibration curve preparedfrom known carbon content standards.4.2 Since carbon dioxide is liberated from carbonates aswell as from organic matter under the total carbon testconditions,carbonate carbon alone is determined by an injec-tion into a separate reaction zone in which the temperature istoo low to convert the organic matter to carbon dioxide.Theorganic carbon can thus be determined by difference.Alter-nately,the sample may be acidified to a pH of 2 or less andsparged with a carbon dioxide-free gas to remove carbonatesand bicarbonates.The remaining solution can then be analyzed1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-19 on Waterand are the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D19.06 on Methods for Analysisfor Organic Substances in Water.Current edition approved Sept.15,1993.Published November 1993.Originallypublished as D 2579 67 T.Last previous edition D 2579 85e1.2Adapted from investigations at the Dow Chemical Co.and Union CarbideCorp.3Annual Book of ASTM Standards,Vol 11.01.4Annual Book of ASTM Standards,Vol 11.02.1AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS100 Barr Harbor Dr.,West Conshohocken,PA 19428Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.Copyright ASTMfor total carbon and thus organic carbon can be determined byvirtue of acidification and sparging.See Annex A1.4.3 Because of the various properties of carbon-containingcompounds in water,any preliminary treatment of a samplep