Abstract
Abstract The multielement determination of precious metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt, and Au) in industrial waste incineration ashes was examined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) with external calibration. Precious metals in the incineration ash samples were preconcentrated by Te coprecipitation after sample decomposition by acid digestion. By using the present Te coprecipitation method, precious metals could be recovered almost quantitatively, while the elements causing polyatomic interferences in the determination of precious metals by ICP-MS were more than 96% removed. The analytical detection limits of precious metals were 0.05, 0.004, 0.03, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.05 ng g−1 for Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt, and Au, respectively, when 0.3 g of ash sample was used for analysis. It was found that the concentration levels of precious metals in coal fly ash and city waste incineration ash certified reference materials were at the ng g−1 levels, which were at the same levels as those in the continental crust. On the other hand, the concentrations of precious metals in industrial waste incineration ashes were in the range from ng g−1 to μg g−1, which were a few to several-hundreds of times higher than those in coal fly ash and city waste incineration ash reference materials.
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