A rapid field test method for the determination of hydrogen sulfide and sulfides in waters with gas preextraction

Abstract

A rapid test method was developed for the determination of hydrogen sulfide and sulfides in waters using a potassium chloride-impregnated test paper with color intensity evaluation of the formed CdS zone by colorimetry and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The determination conditions, viz. acidity, gas preexraction time, air pumping rate, and working concentration range (0.005–0.16 mg of Н₂S/L), were optimized. The procedure proposed is easy-to-perform, and the time of single determination is 20 min; in addition, the procedure is cost effective, sensitive, selective, does not require expensive equipment and expertise of executor, and is not inferior in accuracy to photometric methods. The procedure was tested on real water samples. The concentration hydrogen sulfide in the Don and Temernik rivers in Rostov-on-Don is not higher than the maximum permissible concentration (MPC).