Arsenic removal from water/wastewater using nanoparticle-assisted hollow fiber solid-phase microextraction combined with hydride generation–atomic fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract

In the present work, hollow fiber solid-phase microextraction coupled with hydride generation–atomic fluorescence spectroscopy was employed in the extraction and determination of Arsenic(III), in water samples including acid mine drainage, gold mine wastewater and spring water of Iran. In this technique, an innovative solid sorbent containing mixture of nano TiO2 and a composite microporous compound was developed by the sol–gel method via the reaction of tetraethylorthosilicate and methyltrimethoxysilane. Sol–gel processing was done under acidic catalyst condition. The stated sol was held in the lumen of a porous polypropylene hollow fiber segment for in situ gelation procedure. The experimental setup is very simple and highly affordable. The hollow fiber is disposable, so single use of the fiber reduces the risk of cross-contamination and carry-over problems. The main factors influencing the pre-concentration and extraction of As(III) have been examined in detail. The optimized conditions were obtained and the relationship between the atomic fluorescence signal versus As(III) concentration was linear over the range of 0.01–30 μg L−1 for As(III). The limits of detection and quantification were 0.003 and 0.01 μg L−1, respectively. Under the adjusted conditions, the enrichment factor was 501.4.