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Determination of total organic carbon in karst groundwater by conductance technology (CAT#: STEM-PPA-0147-LJX)

Introduction

Karst groundwater, also known as karst water, refers to the water in the dissolution cracks and caves of soluble rock formations, and its most obvious feature is that the distribution is very uneven. Karst water-bearing systems are generally rich in water and good in water quality, and are often used as large and medium-sized water sources.
Total organic carbon (TOC) is an important carbon component in the global carbon cycle and the primary food source of the aquatic food chain. Therefore, the measurement of TOC plays an important role in the analysis of carbon flux in aquatic systems and the study of the global carbon cycle. The determination of total organic carbon in karst groundwater is helpful to evaluate the role of organic matter in the global carbon cycle.




Principle

Conductivity method is a commonly used method to measure organic carbon content in water samples. The method is based on the existence of a certain relationship between the electrical conductivity of organic matter and its concentration.
In the process of determination, the water sample to be tested first needs to be pre-treated, such as acidification, filtration, etc., to remove possible interfering substances. The treated water sample is then passed through an conductivity sensor containing a specific membrane to measure the conductivity of the water sample. During the measurement process, the organic matter will interact with the membrane surface, resulting in a decrease in the conductivity of the membrane. By measuring the change of membrane conductivity, the organic carbon content in the water sample can be deduced.

Applications

For the determination of total organic carbon in liquids

Procedure

1. Pre-treat the water sample to be tested
2. Measure the conductivity of the water sample by passing it through a conductivity sensor containing a specific membrane
3. The organic carbon content in the water sample is calculated by measuring the change of membrane conductivity

Materials

• Sample Type:
Karst groundwater

Notes

In the use of conductance method, due to dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity and other factors will affect the result. And for some specific organic matter, the conductivity method may have measurement errors. Therefore, real samples need to be verified and calibrated to ensure the accuracy of the measurement results.
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