Simultaneous determination of eight organic amines in desulfurization solution by ion chromatography

Abstract

The applications of organic-amine desulfurization have steadily increased owing to its high efficiency, low cost, and low energy consumption. Different proportions of organic amines exert different effects on sulfur dioxide removal. Therefore, the accurate determination of different organic amines in the desulfurization solution is of great importance. The ion-chromatographic method for the detection of organic amines does not require a derivatization step, has simple pretreatment procedures, and allows for the simultaneous determination of many types of organic amines. In this study, a method based on ion chromatography was developed for the simultaneous determination of ethanolamine (MEA), diethylethanolamine (DEEA), n-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), hydroxyethylethylenediamine (AEEA), piperazine (PZ), n-hydroxyethylpiperazine (HEPZ), and diethylenetriamine (DETA). The separation efficiency of the eight organic amines in different types of columns, leaching solutions, and column temperatures were compared. The determination was performed using an IonPac CS17 column with column temperature of 35 ℃ and gradient leaching with methyl sulfonic acid (MSA) solution via the inhibition conductance method. Samples of the desulfurization solution were analyzed using ultrapure water filtered through a 0.22 μm nylon microporous filter membrane and an OnGuard Ⅱ RP column; thus, the pretreatment steps are simple. The eight organic amines showed a good linear relationship within a certain concentration range, and the coefficient of determinations (R2) were greater than 0.998. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were determined from the mass concentrations of the organic amines corresponding to signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) of 3 and 10, respectively. LODs of 0.02-0.08 mg/L and LOQs of 0.07-0.27 mg/L were determined from a 1.0 μL sample injection. The actual recoveries ranged from 93.0% to 111%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=5) ranged from 0.31% to 1.2%. The results indicated that the proposed method has good accuracy and precision; thus, it is suitable for the determination of various organic amines in desulfurization solution.