TOC is a measure of the organic carbon contained within soils.

Soils and sediments contain a large variety of organic materials ranging from simple sugars and carbohydrates to the more complex proteins, fats, waxes, and organic acids [1]

Soil properties which may be affected by the levels of organic matter, include the ability to absorb and release nutrients, as well as absorb and desorb both naturally occurring and contaminated organic compounds.

The determination of total organic carbon (TOC) is an important part of site characterisation, since its presence or absence can influence how chemicals will react in the soil.

TOC is one of the key parameters included in the Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) Suite.

A TOC Analyser is used to carry out analysis by measuring all carbon containing compounds by combustion in oxygen, using an infra-red detector to quantify the evolved Carbon Dioxide (CO₂).

CTS Environmental Chemistry division provide TOC analysis as part of our comprehensive suite of environmental soil tests at our specialist UKAS* and MCERTs accredited laboratories.

Our soil testing services include:

• • • Volatile organic compounds in soil
    • Semi-volatile organic compounds in soil
    • Phenols in soil by HPLC
    • Total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil
    • TPHCWG in soil
    • Speciated PAHs in soil
    • PCBs in soils
    • Pesticides in soils
    • Metals in soil
    • Hexavalent chromium in soils
    • Total sulphate in soils
    • Sulphide in soils
    • Total nitrogen in soils
    • Cyanides & thiocyanides in soils
    • Loss on ignition in soils
    • Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in soils

References

[1] https://bit.ly/3uV6AOf

* For a full list of our UKAS-accredited activities, please click here.