Technical Bulletin No. 0859: Evaluation of Total Phosphorus and Total Nitrogen Measurement Methods in Pulp and Paper Mill Treated Effluents

This report presents results of a single laboratory method evaluation and comparative study of digestion techniques and analytical methods for the determination of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) in pulp and paper mill secondary treated effluents. Four digestion techniques were evaluated for the determination of TP: (1) acidic persulfate oxidation; (2) mercury (II) sulfate, sulfuric acid, and potassium sulfate block digestion; (3) copper (II) sulfate, sulfuric acid, and potassium sulfate block digestion; and (4) basic to acidic persulfate oxidation. Analytical method evaluations for TP were performed using EPA Methods 365.