Avaliação de método espectrofotométrico comercial para determinação de trihalometanos em água de abastecimento humano

Abstract

The formation of trihalomethanes in human water supply represents a big problem to the public health, since these compounds are suspected carcinogens. The technique referred for determination of trihalomethanes in water is gas chromatography, which uses an electron capture detector. This technique has some disadvantages that unfeasible the implantation in the water treatment plant. A spectrophotometry method developed by Hach® can assist the operation of a water treatment plant on the monitoring of trihalomethanes, since this analytical method has a lower cost, an immediate response by the results and is easy to implantation and operate when compared with gas chromatography. In this research, an evaluation of commercial spectrophotometry method was realized for some parameters of the Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Normalização e Qualidade Industrial (INMETRO) and was divided into three stages. In the first stage, performed a test to make sure that the reducing agent neutralize any residual chlorine in the water. Sodium thiosulfate was added treated water of Gavião´s water treatment plant, to determine the concentration of “zero” mg L-1 in the determination of residual chlorine. The second stage consists in the implantation and operation of the analysis of trihalomethanes by gas chromatography. Two curves were performed using two different standards: a standard of chloroform and a standard of a mixture containing the four trihalomethanes, all with the same concentration. At this stage, all curves constructed showed a correlation coefficient in the range required by the rules of the INMETRO and of the method. The third step was the construction of curves by using again the two standards, but using the spectrophotometric method. Two curves of each standard by the same analyst and a curve of each standard of the other analyst were performed. With the data obtained, was studied the precision, accuracy, robustness, selectivity, linearity, working range and linear range. In addition, a standard addition test and a test for interference in the analysis of different matrices were performed. It was found that the method no had precision and accuracy. Small changes made in the analytical procedure caused change in the result, indicating lack of robustness of the analytical method, besides being extremely susceptible to random errors and possibly quantify other disinfection byproducts