Towards a Standard Method for the Measurement of Organic Carbon in Sediments

Abstract

The precisions achieved by two different methods for analysis of organic carbon in soils and sediments were determined and compared. The first method is a rapid dichromate oxidation technique (Walkley-Black) that has long been a standard in soil chemistry. The second is an automated coulometric titration method for which commercial instrumentation is available. The latter method shows relative standard deviations that are six to twenty times smaller than the dichromate oxidation technique. Development of a standardized sediment with a low level of organic carbon is recommended in order to facilitate the evaluation of the precision and accuracy of organic carbon measurement techniques.