Color ruler to confirm spectrophotometer results for nitro compound content in acidic wastewater from TNT processes

Abstract

This study aimed to find an additional analytical reference procedure to verify the accuracy of single beam Spectrophotometer results that used to determine the concentration of nitro compound pollutants such as TNT, DNT, and MNT (Tri Nitro Toluene, Di Nitro toluene, and Mono Nitro Toluene respectively) in treated acidic wastewater generated from TNT manufacturing. This procedure was tested and confirmed to be a reference for a single-beam spectrophotometer. In this study 10 samples with known concentrations were taken and prepared for colorimetric analysis, the concentrations gradient from 10mg/L up to 60mg/L to make a ruler with gradient color, this ruler was suitable for high concentration samples but to specify the low concentration samples the procedure depended on adding a known concentration to the unknown concentration sample then this added concentration transferred the samples from unspecified color to specified color on the ruler consisted by known concentration mentioned above, the concentration of unknown concentration samples were specified by taking the concentration corresponding to the ruler color a subtracting the value of added concentration and the value of the remains was sample concentration. This study proved the reliability of this procedure to confirm single-beam spectrophotometer results, determining low concentration value of unknown concentration sample of TNT acidic wastewater, and then it can be used as a substituent of spectrophotometer in the event of malfunctions.