Quality improvement in determination of chemical oxygen demand in samples considered difficult to analyze, through participation in proficiency-testing schemes

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Raposo F., Fernandez-Cegri V., De la Rubia M. A., Borja R., Beltran J., Cavinato C., ...More

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, vol.29, no.9, pp.1082-1091, 2010 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Review
  • Volume: 29 Issue: 9
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.trac.2010.06.005
  • Journal Name: TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.1082-1091
  • Keywords: Anaerobic digestion, Chemical oxygen demand (COD), Interlaboratory study, Liquid sample, Proficiency testing (PT), Solid sample, Suspended solids, Waste treatment, Wastewater treatment, LABORATORIES, PERFORMANCE, FOODS
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a critical analytical parameter in waste and wastewater treatment, more specifically in anaerobic digestion, although little is known about the quality of measuring COD of anaerobic digestion samples. Proficiency testing (PT) is a powerful tool that can be used to test the performance achievable in the participants' laboratories, so we carried out a second PT of COD determination in samples considered "difficult" to analyze (i.e. solid samples and liquid samples with high concentrations of suspended solids). The results obtained (based on acceptable z-score values) may be considered satisfactory. When compared with the results of a previous similar scheme, the overall performance improved by around 30%, again demonstrating that analytical performance can be improved by regular participation in PT. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.