Raw Data on Determination of total carbon in biosolids using MID-infrared spectroscopy

The raw data in the Excel file ‘Nihal et al, 2019 data.xlsx’ includes total carbon (C) results and MID-IR spectra for each of the 392 biosolids samples. The raw data was used to develop a rapid and economical method of determining total C in biosolids using MID-IR spectroscopy. The method was described in a journal article entitled “Determination of total carbon in biosolids using MID-infrared spectroscopy” by Nihal et al., (2020). The biosolids samples were analysed for total C using a LECO TruMac Series C/N analyser. A sample of 0.5 g of biosolids was weighed into a crucible and combusted at 1300 °C under excess oxygen in the LECO instrument. The combustion of C in excess oxygen resulted in the majority of C converted to CO2. The CO2 was measured using an IR detector, and the C value in the sample was calculated based on the amount of CO2 produced. The instrument was calibrated using a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certified standard of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The MID-IR spectra of ball mill ground biosolids samples were measured by placing a small sample of approximately 1 g in the sample cup, and the diffuse reflectance spectrum measured from 4000 to 400 cm-1 using a PerkinElmer 100 Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) instrument with a DRIFT attachment. In all cases, 64 scans were used to measure the MID-IR spectra.