2530 FLOATABLES*

2530 A. Introduction

One important criterion for evaluating the possible effect of teria and/or viruses associated with individual particles, and can
waste disposal into surface waters is the amount of floatable significantly concentrate metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons
material in the waste. Two general types of floating matter are such as pesticides and PCBs. Colloidally dispersed oil and grease
found: particulate matter that includes “grease balls,” and liquid behave like other dispersed organic matter and are included in
components capable of spreading as a thin, highly visible film the material measured by the COD, BOD, and TOC tests. The
over large areas. Floatable material in wastewaters is important floatable oil test indicates the readily separable fraction. The
because it accumulates on the surface, is often highly visible, is results are useful in designing oil and grease separators, in
subject to wind-induced transport, may contain pathogenic bac- ascertaining the efficiency of operating separators, and in mon-
itoring raw and treated wastewater streams. Many cities and
districts have specified floatable oil and grease limits for waste-
* Approved by Standard Methods Committee, 2010. Editorial revisions, 2011. water discharged to sewers.

2530 B. Particulate Floatables

1. Discussion 2. Apparatus

a. Principle: This method depends on the gravity separation of a. Floatables sampler with mixer: Use a metal container of at
particles having densities less than that of the surrounding water. least 5 L capacity equipped with a propeller mixer on a separate
Particles that collect on the surface and can be filtered out and dried stand (Figure 2530:1), and with a 20-mm-ID bottom outlet cocked
at 103 to 105°C are defined by this test as floatable particles.
b. Application: This method is applicable to raw wastewater,
treated primary and secondary effluent, and industrial wastewater.
Because of the limited sensitivity, it is not applicable to tertiary
effluents or receiving waters, whether freshwater or seawater.
c. Precautions: Even slight differences in sampling and han-
dling during and after collection can give large differences in the
measured amount of floatable material. Additionally, uniformity
of the TFE* coating of the separation funnel is critical to ob-
taining reliable results. For a reproducible analysis treat all
samples uniformly, preferably by mixing them in a standard
manner, before flotation and use consistently prepared separation
funnels as much as possible. Because the procedure relies on the
difference in specific gravity between the liquid and the floating
particles, temperature variations may affect the results. Conduct
the test at a constant temperature the same as that of the receiv-
ing water body, and report temperature with results.
d. Minimum detectable concentration: The minimum repro-
ducible detectable concentration is approximately 1 mg/L. Al-
though the minimum levels that can be measured are below 1
mg/L, the results are not meaningful within the current estab-
lished accuracy of the test.
Figure 2530:1. Floatables sampler with mixer.

* Teflon or equivalent.

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 FLOATABLES (2530)/Particulate Floatables

Figure 2530:3. Flotation funnels and mixing unit.

d. Filters, glass fiber, fine porosity.†

e. Vacuum flask, 500 mL.
f. TFE coating: Follow instructions that accompany commer-
cially available coating kits. Alternatively, have necessary glass-
ware coated commercially. Uniform coatings are key to the
reliability of the test results, but in practice are difficult to obtain.

3. Procedure

a. Preparation of glass fiber filters: See Section 2540D.3a.

Figure 2530:2. Floatables flotation funnel and filter holder. b. Sample collection and treatment: Collect sample in the
floatables sampler at a point of complete mixing, transport to the
laboratory, and place 3.0 L in the flotation funnel within 2 h after
at an angle of 45° to the container wall in the direction of fluid sample collection to minimize changes in the floatable material.
movement. The 45° angle assures that even large particles will flow
from the container into the flotation funnels where the sample is
† Whatman GF/C or equivalent.
withdrawn. Fit exterior of bottom outlet with a short piece of tubing
and a pinch clamp to allow unrestricted flow through the outlet.
Coat inside of container with TFE as uniformly as possible, using a TABLE 2530:I. COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION AND RECOVERY FOR
TFE spray to prevent oil and grease from sticking to the surface. PARTICULATE FLOATABLES TEST
b. Flotation funnel: Use an Imhoff cone provided with a TFE
stopcock at the bottom and extended at the top to a total volume Average
of 3.5 L (Figure 2530:2). Coat inside of flotation funnel with Floatables Coefficient
Type of Concentration No. of of Variation Recovery
TFE as uniformly as possible to prevent floatable grease particles
Wastewater mg/L Samples % %
sticking to the sides. Mount flotation funnels as shown in Figure
2530:3 with a light behind the bottom of the funnels to aid in Raw* 49 5 5.7 96
reading levels. Raw 1.0 5 20 92
c. Filter holder: Coat inside of top of a standard 500-mL Primary effluent 2.7 5 15 91
membrane filter holder with TFE, again taking all possible * Additional floatable material added from skimmings of a primary sedimentation
precautions to obtain a uniform TFE coating. basin.

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 FLOATABLES (2530)/Trichlorotrifluoroethane-Soluble Floatable Oil and Grease

While the flotation funnel is being filled, mix sampler contents with B ⫽ weight of filter, mg, and
a small propeller mixer. Adjust mixing speed to provide uniform C ⫽ sample volume, L. (Do not include volume used for density
distribution of floating particles throughout the liquid but avoid or concentration correction, if used.)
extensive air entrapment through formation of a large vortex.
c. Correction for density and for concentration effects: When 5. Precision and Bias
a receiving water has a density and ion concentration different
from that of the waste, adjust sample density and ion concentra- Precision varies with the concentration of suspended matter in
tion to that of the receiving water. For example, if the receiving the sample. There is no completely satisfactory procedure for
water is ocean water, place 1.5 L sample in flotation funnel and determining the bias of the method for wastewater samples but
add 1.5 L filtered seawater from the receiving area together with approximate recovery can be determined by running a second
mixture of 39.8 g NaCl, 8.0 g MgCl2 䡠 6H2O, and 2.3 g test for floatables on all water discharged throughout the proce-
CaCl2 䡠 2H2O. The final mixture contains the amount of dure, with the exception of the last 10 mL. Precision and bias are
floatables in a 1.5-L sample in a medium of approximately the summarized in Table 2530:I. Experience with the method at one
same density and ion concentration as seawater. municipal treatment plant indicates that the practical lower limit
d. Flotation: Mix flotation funnel contents at 40 rpm for 15 of detection is approximately 1 mg/L.
min using a paddle mixer (Figure 2530:3). Let settle for 5 min,
mix at 100 rpm for 1 min, and let settle for 30 min. Discharge 2.8 6. Bibliography
L through bottom stopcock at a rate of 500 mL/min. Do not
disturb the sample surface in the flotation funnel during dis- HEUKELEKIAN, H. & J. BALMAT. 1956. Chemical composition of the
charge. With distilled water from a wash bottle, wash down any particulate fractions of domestic sewage. Sewage Ind. Wastes 31:
floatable material sticking to sides of stirring paddle and funnel. 413.
Let remaining 200 mL settle for 15 min and discharge settled ENGINEERING-SCIENCE, INC. 1965. Determination and Removal of Float-
solids and liquid down to the 40-mL mark on the Imhoff cone. able Material from Waste Water. Rep. for U.S. Public Health Serv.
Let settle again for 10 min and discharge until only 10 mL liquid contracts WPD 12-01 (R1)-63 and WPD 12-02-64, Engineering-
and the floating particles remain in funnel. Add 500 mL distilled Science, Inc., Arcadia & Oakland, Calif.
HUNTER, J.V. & H. HEUKELEKIAN. 1965. Composition of domestic sewage
water and stir by hand to separate entrapped settleable particles
fractions. J. Water Pollut. Control Fed. 37:1142.
from the floatable particles. Let settle for 15 min, then discharge NUSBAUM I. & L. BURTMAN. 1965. Determination of floatable matter in
to the 40-mL mark. Let settle for 10 min, then discharge drop- waste discharges. J. Water Pollut. Control Fed. 37:577.
wise to the 10-mL mark. Filter remaining 10 mL and floating SCHERFIG, J. & H. F. LUDWIG. 1967. Determination of floatables and
particles through a preweighed glass fiber filter. Wash sides of hexane extractables in sewage. In Advances in Water Pollution
flotation funnel with distilled water to transfer all floatable Research, Vol. 3, p. 217, Water Pollution Control Federation,
material to filter. Washington, D.C.
e. Weighing: Dry and weigh glass fiber filter at 103 to 105° C SELLECK, R.E., L. W. BRACEWELL & R. CARTER. 1974. The Significance
for exactly 2 h (see Section 2540D.3c). and Control of Wastewater Floatables in Coastal Waters. Rep. for
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contract R-800373, SERL
Rep. No. 74-1, Sanitary Engineering Research Lab., Univ. Califor-
4. Calculation nia, Berkeley.
BRACEWELL, L.W. 1976. Contribution of Wastewater Discharges to Sur-
face Films and Other Floatables on the Ocean Surface. Thesis,
(A ⫺ B)
mg particulate floatables/L ⫽ Univ. California, Berkeley.
C BRACEWELL, L.W., R.E. SELLECK & R. CARTER. 1980. Contribution of
where: wastewater discharges to ocean surface particulates. J. Water Pol-
A ⫽ weight of filter ⫹ floatables, mg, lut. Control Fed. 52:2230.

2530 C. Trichlorotrifluoroethane-Soluble Floatable Oil and Grease

1. Discussion amount of oil removed in separators having overflow rates

equivalent to test conditions.
The floatable oil and grease test does not measure a precise The QC practices considered to be an integral part of each
class of substances; rather, the results are determined by the method are summarized in Table 2020:I.
conditions of the test. The fraction measured includes oil and
grease, both floating and adhering to the sides of the test
vessel. The adhering and the floating portions are of similar 2. Apparatus
practical significance because it is assumed that most of the
adhering portion would otherwise float under receiving water a. Floatable oil tube (Figure 2530:4): Before use, carefully
conditions. The results have been found to represent well the clean tube by brushing with a mild scouring powder. Water must

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 FLOATABLES (2530)/Trichlorotrifluoroethane-Soluble Floatable Oil and Grease

not use samples taken to the laboratory in a bottle, because oil and
grease cannot be redispersed to their original condition.
b. Flotation: Support tube in a vertical position. Start flotation
period at sampling site immediately after filling tube. The standard
flotation time is 30 min. If a different time is used, state this
variation in reporting results. At end of flotation period, discharge
the first 900 mL of water carefully through bottom stopcock, stop-
ping before any surface oil or other floating material escapes. Rotate
tube slightly back and forth about its vertical axis to dislodge sludge
from sides, and let settle for 5 min. Completely discharge sludge
that has settled to the bottom or that comes down from the sides
with the liquid. Scum on top of the liquid may mix with the water
as it moves down the tube. If mixing occurs, stop drawing off water
before any floatables have been lost. Let settle for 5 min before
withdrawing remainder of water. After removing water, return tube
to laboratory to complete test.
c. Extraction: Acidify to pH 2 or lower with a few drops of 6N HCl,
add 50 to 100 mL trichlorotrifluoroethane, and shake vigorously. Let
settle and draw off solvent into a clean dry beaker. Filter solvent
through a dry filter paper into a tared 300-mL conical flask, taking care
not to get any water on filter paper. Add a second 50-mL portion of
trichlorotrifluoroethane and repeat extraction, settling, and filtration into
the same 300-mL flask. A third extraction may be needed if the amount
of floatables in sample exceeds 4 mg/L. Wash filter paper carefully with
fresh solvent discharged from a wash bottle with a fine tip. Evaporate
solvent from flask as described in Section 5520B.4. For each solvent
batch, determine weight of residue left after evaporation from the same
volume as used in the analysis.
5. Calculations

Report results as “soluble floatable oil and grease, 30 min (or

other specified) settling time, mg/L.”
Trichlorotrifluoroethane-soluble floatable oil and grease, 30 min
settling time, mg/L
共A ⫺ B) ⫻ 1000
⫽
Figure 2530:4. Floatable oil tube, 1-L capacity. mL sample
where:
A ⫽ total gain in weight of tared flask, mg, and
B ⫽ calculated residue from solvent blank of the same volume
as that used in the test, mg.
form a smooth film on inside of cleaned glass. Do not use
lubricant on stopcock. 6. Precision and Bias
b. Conical flask, 300 mL.
There is no standard against which bias of this test can be
3. Reagents determined. Variability of replicates is influenced by sample heter-
ogeneity. If large grease particles are present, the element of chance
a. 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane*: See Section 5520C.3b. in sampling may be a major factor. One municipal wastewater
b. Hydrochloric acid, HCl, 6N. discharge and two meat-packing plant discharges, both containing
c. Filter paper.† noticeable particles of grease, were analyzed in triplicate. Averages
for the three wastewaters were 48, 57, and 25 mg/L; standard
4. Procedure deviations averaged 11%. An oil refinery made duplicate determi-
nations of its separator effluent on 15 consecutive days, obtaining
a. Sampling: Collect samples at a place where there is a strong results ranging from 5.1 to 11.2 mg/L. The average difference
turbulence in the water and where floating material is not trapped at between pairs of samples was 0.37 mg/L.
the surface. Fill floatable oil tube to mark by dipping into water. Do
7. Bibliography

* Freon or equivalent. POMEROY, R.D. 1953. Floatability of oil and grease in wastewaters.
† Whatman No. 40 or equivalent. Sewage Ind. Wastes 25:1304.