Methods for the Determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in Soils and Sediments

摘要

Soil and sediment total organic carbon (TOC) determinations are typically requested with contaminant analyses as part of an ecological risk assessment data package. TOC contents may be used qualitatively to assess the nature of the sampling location (e.g., was it a depositional area) or may be used to normalize portions of the analytical chemical data set (e.g., equilibrium partitioning). The purpose of this document, as defined by the Ecological Risk Assessment Forum, is to answer the question of 'what is the most appropriate method for soil and/or sediment TOC analyses and what factors should be considered when selecting the method.