Online in situ detection of multiple elements and analysis of heavy metals in the incense smoke and ash

Abstract

As a common air pollutant, incense has caused certain harm to the atmospheric environment and human health. The spectra of the incense ash smoke were analyzed online in situ to identify the main elements such as Ca, K, N, and H by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology. Additionally, molecular bands of CN were also recognized in the spectrum of smoke and the vibrational and rotational temperatures of CN molecule were calculated. Moreover, the incense was dipped into the solutions containing Pb to simulate heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere for offline quantitative analysis and online detection. The internal standard calibration method was applied for the quantitative analysis of Pb/Fe and the linear correlation coefficients (R2) obtained is 0.99709. Furthermore, a home-built single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer was utilized in combination with LIBS technology for online analysis of Pb isotopes in smoke. Finally, the detection limit of Pb in the incense ash is calculated to 46.6 mg / kg.