A Colorimetric Method for the Determination of Formaldehyde in Air in the Field

Objectives Based on the coloring of phenol reagent with formaldehyde, a colorimeter with fixed wavelength was developed in order to complete the sampling and determination of formaldehyde in air in the field.

Method According to the rule in the "Environmental Monitoring-Technical Guideline on Drawing and Revising Analytical Method Standards "(HJ168-2010), the technical indexes of the method were evaluated.The concentration of formaldehyde in the air from a 30 m³ artificially simulating environmental tank tested by this method was compared with that by the "National Standard Method for Determination of Formaldehyde in Air of Public Places"(GB/T 18204.26-2000).

Results The detection limit and the determination limit were 0.052 μg and 0.17μg respectively in 10 mL of absorption liquid (absorbed from 6 liters of air).The relative standard deviation was from 2.3 % to 7.3%, the recovery was between 99.2% and 108.7%, the relative error of the method was less than 5% compared with the National Standard Methods.

Conclusion Through technical index assessment, this is a quick and easy method for analyzing formaldehyde in air and the reports could be finished in the field.