ABSTRACT
The total inorganic carbon present in a water sample is usually in the form of inorganic bicarbonates and carbonates. In one technique these components are analyzed independently and then subtracted from the total carbon. The total organic carbon found in water and wastewaters often is an index of the quality of such waters. The inorganic carbon was either removed by acid sparging or determined by titration. The original and expanded method contained a high-temperature furnace and combustion tube to catalytically oxidize all carbonaceous species to carbon dioxide. In the presence of oxygen and catalyzed by the ultraviolet radiation, the carbon molecules are oxidized into carbon dioxide. The volatile organic carbon (VOC) is separated from the CO2 in a bypass column, reduced to methane, and routed to the same flame ionization detector for an additional VOC analysis to be added to the dissolved organic carbon value.
