Determination of total cyanide in soils by micro-distillation Original Research Article

This study was conducted to determine whether a micro-distillation apparatus, which was developed for analyzing aqueous samples, can be used for analyzing total cyanide in heterogeneously contaminated solid samples. The samples investigated were cyanide-contaminated soils from former gas works and blast furnace sludges. Sample preparation was restricted to air-drying and sieving <2 mm. The samples represent a wide range in cyanide concentrations (from <1 to about 10,000 mg kg−1 CN−). Results of cyanide determination by the micro-distillation apparatus correlated closely with those obtained by the German standard distillation method (r = 0.997, p < 0.001%, n = 20). As the micro-distillation technique is easier to perform and faster than the standard distillation technique and equal in accuracy and resolution, the application of the micro-distillation apparatus for analyzing total cyanide in soils is recommended.