Determination of Barium Sulfate in Barite Ore by Phase Conversion-partial Pressure-corrected Headspace Gas Chromatography

Barium sulfate (BaSO) content is used to evaluate the grade of barite ore. In the present study, we report a method to determine the BaSO content in barite ore by phase conversion-headspace gas chromatography with partial pressure correction. In this method, the ore sample is roasted with sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate after pretreatment with hydrochloric acid. The roasted product is subsequently placed in a closed headspace bottle to react with hydrochloric acid. The ratio of CO to O signals is detected by a thermal conductivity detector for gas chromatography. Finally, the BaSO content in barite ore is calculated using this ratio. The method demonstrates good precision (relative standard deviation < 0.84%) and accuracy (relative error < 3.40%), with the uncertainty at 95% confidence interval at approximately +/- 0.57%. Moreover, this approach is expected to be used for the batch testing of BaSO content in barite ores in industrial applications.