Determination of sulfuric acid in metallurgical process streams by discontinuous flow analysis

✍ Scribed by Terence J. Cardwell; Robert W. Cattrall; Graeme J. Cross; Gregory R. O'Connell; John D. Petty; Geoffrey R. Scollary

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 760 KB
• Volume: 308
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2670
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2670(94)00628-y

✦ Synopsis

Discontinuous

flow analysis was applied to the determination of sulfuric acid in metallurgical process samples by photometric titration using a bromophenol blue indicator. Over-estimation of the level of acid due to the precipitation of metal hydroxides and oxides was prevented by titrating with sodium acetate. At a throughput of 110 samples hK', the method exhibited excellent repeatability and reproducibility, with relative standard deviations of less than 1% throughout. Determinations on samples taken from copper, manganese and zinc refining operations compared well with results obtained using the existing industry procedure of manual titration with hydroxide to a pH 3.9 endpoint. Of twelve metals investigated, only arsenic(V) and iron(M) interfered to a significant extent. High levels of cadmium, chromium(III), copper(I1) and lead(I1) resulted in small positive errors, whereas calcium, cobalt(II), magnesium, manganese(II), nickel@) and zinc did not interfere.