Determination of Cations and Anions in Desulfurization Waste Water of Coal-Fired Power Plant by Ion Chromatography

The reliable and accurate determination of corrosive anions at sub- to low-mu g/L levels is a challenging analytical problem. In this manuscript, a simultaneous determination method of cations and anions in power plant water samples was established by large volume injection ion chromatography. The analytical parameters including separation column, the suppressor current and the elute concentration were optimized. Results showed good separation under the optimum conditions, and the calibration curves of all analytes were linear with good coefficient of determination (r(2)) >0.997, and the mean recoveries for all analytes ranged from 75.62 to 118.58% with RSD of 0.07-4.83%. The established method was successfully applied to determine the cations and anions in realwaste water samples from coal-fired power, and was verified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and electrometric titration. The relative deviation between methods was all below 6.72%, which indicated good accuracy of the established ion chromatography method. The results could also provide reference for the precise and rapid detection of cations and anions in environmental water samples.