Everything that you need to know about TOC analyzers
The world of elemental chemistry is dynamic and the purity of substance holds great significance in the world of manufacturing. Manufacturers that utilize the different oxidation technologies use TOC Analyzer to understand the purity of water. The different oxidation technologies are used for exploiting different market segments and they might affect the analytical data because of the presence of the components within the sample matrix. For example, the use of UV or Persulfate oxidation was of critical significance for the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries and hence TOC analyzers hold great importance in these sectors.
How do TOC analyzers work?
All the TOC Analyzer measure the total carbon, but TOC analysis requires some accounting for the inorganic carbon that’s always present in the mixture. To do so, there is one two-stage analysis technique known as the TC-IC. It is used to measure the amount of total inorganic carbon that evolves from an acidified aliquot of any sample. Another technique is the TIC-NPOC analysis. Whether it is by the TC-IC or NPOC methods, the analysis of TOC can be broken into three main stages:
Acidification
Here the removal of IC and POC gases occurs. In the acidification process, an acid is added and the inert gas sparging converts all the carbonate as well as bicarbonate ions into carbon dioxide. The IC product is then vented along with any sparse purgeable organic carbon in the mixture.
Oxidation
TOC analyzers perform oxidation in a step-by-step manner through a series of processes. The processes in their chronological order are high-temperature combustion, HTCO or High-temperature catalytic oxidation, photo-oxidation alone, thermo-chemical oxidation, photochemical oxidation, and electrolytic oxidation.
Detection and Quantification
In the entire TOC analysis process, precise detection and quantification are the most vital components. There are two typical detection methods used in modern TOC analyzers. These include non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) and conductivity techniques.
It should be noted that there are two types of analyzers. The first one uses combustion and the other one used chemical oxidation. The second one is generally used in water purity tests to detect the presence of organic carbon or unwanted pathogens.
Applications of TOC analyzers
The process is very important in detecting contaminants in cooling water, detecting contaminants, and the purity of the water used for pharmaceutical use and in semiconductor manufacturing. The analysis can be made in an online continuous measurement or as an entirely lab-based measurement. The measurement of TOC can have a critical impact on the environment, human health as well as on the manufacturing process. It is a highly sensitive and non-specific measurement that is used to regulate the organic chemical discharge to the environment in different manufacturing plants. Low TOC confirms the absence of potentially harmful organic chemicals in water and so TOC Analyzer is critical for environmental safety as well.
Accuracy is everything when you are working with TOC analysis. Seek help from professionals when it comes to TOC analysis and chooses the right TOC analyzers for your next analysis project.
