Determination Of Trace Metals Research Articles

Determination of trace and heavy metals in bottled drinking water in Yemen by ICP-MS

This study assessed the concentrations of several trace and heavy metals in bottled drinking water. A total of 27 samples were collected from Yemeni markets. The ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) technique was utilized to analyze the levels of Li, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Se, Rb, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb, and U. Furthermore, the study also examined the levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), and pH in the collected samples. The concentrations of the elements in the bottled drinking water samples were compared to the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) values for these elements in drinking water, set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Yemen’s Ministry of Water and Environment (YMWE). The limit of detection (LOD) and recovery ranged from 0.0003 to 1.86 μg/l, 80 to 120 %, respectively. Only trace elements Mn and Pb were detected in all samples at concentrations below the LOD. Out of the elements examined, only Hg exceeded the acceptable limits defined by both the WHO and YMWE in most of the samples.

ICP-OES Method for the Determination of Trace Metals in Nori Seaweed: Application for the Analysis of Different Samples from Different Countries

ICP-OES Method for the Determination of Trace Metals in Nori Seaweed: Application for the Analysis of Different Samples from Different Countries

Patricia Smichowski, a researcher who works hard to contribute to science, kindly granted BrJAC an interview

Patricia Smichowski is a Licentiate in Chemistry (equivalent to a Master in Science) of the University of Buenos Aires. She obtained an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the Engineering School of the University of Buenos Aires in 1981 and received her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1995 from the Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. In 1982, she joined the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) where she is currently Head of the Analytical Developments Division. She is also Principal Researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). She specializes in the development and application of atomic spectrometric techniques to environmental and biological analysis. Her interests lie in the preconcentration, speciation, and determination of trace metals and metalloids in a variety of matrices by employing plasma-based techniques, atomic fluorescence spectrometry, and other coupled techniques. She has conducted national and international projects aimed at characterizing the presence of metals, metalloids, ions, and organic compounds in airborne particulate matter, as well as elucidating their origin. She holds a patent, with other researchers, relating to the development of a sorbent for arsenic retention. Patricia Smichowski has published 130 peer reviewed articles and 12 book chapters, given 45 invited lectures at international meetings, and has co-organized several international conferences. She is a member of the advisory board of four international analytical chemistry journals, as well as the European Virtual Institute for Speciation Analysis.

Development of Electrochemical Paper-Based Devices for Field Assays

The birth of the modern field of paper-based analytical devices (PADs) was marked by the pioneering work by the Whitesides’ group which demonstrated that it was possible to perform complex manipulation of liquids within hydrophilic paper channels delimited by hydrophobic barriers [1]. The key features of paper as a platform are: a) flexibility; b) low thickness and lightness; c) absorbency; d) high surface-to-volume ratio; e) hydrophilicity and capillary action; f) chemical and biological inertness; g) disposability and biodegradability, and; h) low cost and wide availability. Among the various detection modes that are compatible with PADs, electrochemical detection is very attractive since electrochemical transducers can be readily and rapidly patterned on paper using various approaches. Combined with low-cost and portable instrumentation, electrochemical PADs (ePADs) are well suited to on-site assays and point-of-care testing and relevant applications have been developed in various fields such as clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and food quality control [2-4].The methods of patterning of the hydrophobic barriers and of depositing the electrodes are critical in the fabrication of ePADs and several approaches have been proposed in the literature [2-4]. Τhe aim of this work was the development of different approaches for the fabrication of ePADs. For this purpose, hydrophobic barriers were delimited using: x-y plotting with commercial hydrophobic marker pens, wax printing and thermal printing. Electrodes were deposited on the PADs using x-y plotting with commercial writing pencils and conductive inks formulated in-house and screen-printing. Different fabrication parameters were optimized including the selection of the paper substrate, the conditions for the formation of the hydrophobic barriers and the electrode deposition parameters. Applicability of the ePADs was demonstrated for different applications for on-site assays including the enzymatic amperometric detection of glucose, the determination of trace metals by stripping analysis and the voltammetric detection of organic compounds.

Field determination and ecological health risk assessment of trace metals in typical mariculture area of China

Field determination of dissolved trace metals (Cu, Pb and Cd) by using automated electrochemical system had been done in three typical mariculture areas of Yellow Sea (YS), East China Sea (ECS) and South China Sea (SCS) in China. Higher concentrations of Cu and Pb were found in ECS while the Cd concentration showed a decreasing trend from north to south of China. The metal distribution and ecological health risk assessments were also conducted. Cu and Pb in the YS and Cu in SCS were moderately contaminated. ECS had considerable Cu contamination and very high Pb contamination. Compared with other coastal areas, mariculture affected the concentration and spatial distribution of trace metals, but it was not a necessarily dominant factor. Overall, the results contribute to the further development of field and on-board metal detection technology and lay a foundation for the realization of field ecological health risk assessments of mariculture waters.

Shortened Sequential Extraction Procedure: An Effective and Time-Saving Determination of Trace Metals Over Sediments

ABSTRACT In this work, the seven-step extraction procedure (SSEP) proposed by our laboratory team was modified to reduce the number of fractions from seven to five (FSEP) without affecting its effectiveness. By this way, the modified SSEP was investigated by comparing the quantity of trace (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn) and major (Ca, Fe, Mn) elements leached from two sediments (TH2 and T16). Compared to the SSEP, the shortened sequential test allows to reach the same results in terms of reproductibility. Results confirm that the water-soluble step is negligeable and can be omitted for the sediments. The percentage of the total leached elements Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn were 23%, 13%, 58%, 55%, 92%, 63%, 81%, 65% and 80%, respectively, for both procedures SSEP and FSEP. However, merging the reducible fractions revealed for some elements a little reduction of the leached quantities in comparison to the original SSEP. Over reducible fraction, the leached Fe element in T16, achieves 4% for SSEP and 3% for FSEP. This was explained by the partial dissolution of the amorphous and crystalline irons. Based on the reduced number of fractions, the used extraction filters (28 Vs 20) and the extraction time (18 h Vs 13.5 h), FSEP appeared to be easier for manipulation without loss of its effectiveness. However, the choice of the FSEP must be deduced from the physicochemical properties of the sample and the aim of the envisaged study.

Systematic Search Using the Proknow-C Method for the Characterization of Atmospheric Particulate Matter Using the Materials Science Techniques XRD, FTIR, XRF, and Raman Spectroscopy

Particulate matter (PM), particle pollution that can travel long distances, is a big concern because it contains liquid droplets or microscopic solids resulting in significant health issues such as respirational and cancer problems. Therefore, the characterization of these particles is very significant as a hazard to public health. PM can be identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy (RS), both powerful and non-destructive technologies. RS, in particular, allows the identification of black carbon, considered one of the pollutants with the greatest influence on climate change. Another important technology for the evaluation of inorganic and organic functional groups present in PM compounds is the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). X-ray fluorescence (XRF) provides elemental analysis, revealing, in many cases, the original source of the sample. In order to understand the current state of the art, the Proknow-C method was applied to track the most recent information on PM characterization. Aspects such as sample collection, filter material, characterization parameters, PM components, and the advantages and limitations of each technique are discussed. PM minerals are found to be composed of silicates, oxides, sulfates, and carbonates. The elemental components of PM are classified into five categories: marine aerosol, mineral material, anthropogenic elements, organic carbon, and elemental carbon. The XRD technique is a powerful, fast, and non-destructive tool to identify various minerals present in PM. On the other hand, the XRF technique requires minimal sample treatment, but its sensitivity is limited for the determination of trace metals and some relevant environmental elements. FTIR spectroscopy is able to identify and quantify all organic functional groups present in atmospheric PM. Despite its advantages, a proper choice of calibration method is crucial to ensure its effectiveness. RS is fast and simple, although it only detects Raman-active functional groups. These are some of the advantages and limitations of these techniques addressed in the following review article.

Simultaneous preconcentration and determination of trace metals in edible plants and water samples by a novel solvent bar microextraction using a meltblown layer of facemask as the extractant phase holder combined with FAAS

A new microextraction method as a facile, efficient, and safe intermediate sample preparation procedure was developed for simultaneous extraction and preconcentration of nickel (II), cobalt (II), and lead (II) in some vegetables and water samples. The new method uses a novel deep eutectic solvent as an extractant on the surface of a meltblown layer of a facemask with an iron wire inside of it. 2-(5-Bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) was used as a chelating reagent. The concentrations of the enriched ions were measured using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS). The introduced method underwent significant parameter optimization, which may influence the extraction process efficiency. Under the best situations, the calibration curve of the method showed excellent linearity over the concentration range 2–150 μg L−1, 3–150 μg L−1, and 7–500 μg L−1 have satisfactory coefficients of determination (R2 ≥ 0.998) for nickel (II), cobalt (II), and lead (II), respectively. Detection limits were within 0.61 – 2.30 μg L−1, and the relative standard deviation values were fewer than 2.6 % (n = 10). Experimental results indicated that the presented method has a high ability to cleanly and enrich metal ions in several samples, including natural water, dill, coriander, and spinach leaves, with limited solvent consumption and low operating costs.

Determination of trace metals in some organs of Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758) fish and histopathological change in the Babil drainage network, Iraq

Determination of trace metals in some organs of Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758) fish and histopathological change in the Babil drainage network, Iraq

Improvement of Advanced Sample Preparation Systems for the Determination of Trace Ni in Seawater by Electro-Membranes.

Due to its important environmental role, the analysis of trace metals in natural waters is attracting increasing attention; consequently, faster and more accurate analytical methods are now needed to reach even lower limits of detection. In this work, we propose the use of electro-membrane extraction (EME) to improve analytical methods based on hollow fiber liquid phase micro-extraction (HFLPME). Specifically, an EME-based method for the determination of trace Ni in seawater has been developed, using an HFLPME system with di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (DEHPA) in kerosene as a chemical carrier, followed by instrumental determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). Under optimum conditions, Ni was pre-concentrated 180 ± 17 times after 15 min, using sample pH = 5.5, the concentration of DEHPA 0.9 M in the liquid membranes, and 1.9 M HNO3 in the acceptor solution, as well as an electric potential of 25 V with the sample being stirred at 500 rpm. When compared with other HFLPME systems for pre-concentration of trace Ni in seawater in the absence of electric potential, the enrichment factor was improved 2.2 times, while the time of extraction was reduced an 89%. The limit of detection of the new method was 23.3 ng L-1, and both its applicability and accuracy were successfully evaluated by analyzing Ni concentration in a seawater-certified reference material (BCR-403), showing the reliability of EME for sample preparation in the determination of trace metals in marine water samples.

Determination of trace metals in some organs of Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758) fish and histopathological change in the Babil drainage network, Iraq

Determination of trace metals in some organs of Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758) fish and histopathological change in the Babil drainage network, Iraq

Determination of Heavy and Trace Metals of Camel Milk in Gashua, Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State

Determination of Heavy and Trace Metals of Camel Milk in Gashua, Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State

Direct magnetic sorbent sampling flame atomic absorption spectrometry (DMSS-FAAS) for highly sensitive determination of trace metals

A procedure of direct magnetic sorbent sampling in flame atomic absorption spectrometry (DMSS-FAAS) was developed in this work. Metal-loaded magnetic sorbents were directly inserted in the flame of the FAAS for direct metal desorption/atomization. Magnetic graphene oxide aerogel (M-GOA) particles were synthesized, characterized, and used as a proof-of-concept in the magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction of Pb2+ ions from water samples. M-GOA was selected because is a light and porous sorbent, with high adsorption capacity, that is quickly burned by the flame. Magnetic particles were directly inserted in the flame by using a metallic magnetic probe, thereby avoiding the need for a chemical elution step. As all the extracted Pb2+ ions arrive to the flame without passing through the nebulization system, a drastic increase in the analytical signal was achieved. The improvement in the sensitivity of the proposed method (DMSS-FAAS) for Pb2+ determination was at least 40 times higher than the conventional procedure in which the Pb2+ is extracted, eluted, and analyzed by conventional flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) via the nebulization system. The analytical curve was linear from 5.0 to 180.0 μg L−1 and the limit of detection was found to be 1.30 μg L−1. Background measurements were insignificant, and the atomic absorption peaks were narrow and reproducible. Precision assessed as a percentage of the relative standard deviation %RSD was found to be 17.4, 7.1, and 7.8% for 10, 70, and 180 μg L−1 levels, respectively. The method showed satisfactory results even in the presence of other ions (Al3+, Cr3+, Co2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, and Li+). The performance of the new system was also evaluated for Cd2+ ions, as well as by using other magnetic particles available in our lab: magnetic carbon nanotubes (M-CNTs), magnetic restricted access carbon nanotubes (M-RACNT), magnetic poly (methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (M-PMA), magnetic nanoparticles coated with orange powder peel (M-OPP), and magnetic nanoparticles covered with SiO2 (M − SiO2). Analytical signals increased for both analytes in all sorbents (increases of about 4–37 times), attesting the high potential and applicability of the proposed method. Simplicity, high analytical frequency, high detectability and reproducibility, low cost, and possibility of being totally mechanized are the most relevant advantages.

Environmental assessment of soil contamination by trace metals

The main purpose. The purpose of this research is to develop a method for determining the level of heavy metal contamination in the soil. For this end, the following tasks are set: - to develop a method for the integrated assessment of heavy metal contamination in the soil at the regional and local levels; - to identify the most heavy metal contaminated regions of Ukraine; - to estimate the level of hazard of heavy metal contamination in the soil for territories with different types of land use; - to assess the pollution of soils with heavy metals as a result of hostilities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Methodology. The method takes into account the soil morphology, genezises, trace metals background concentrations and based on the development of the self-purification index for various soils in different regions of Ukraine. According to the proposed method soils have been classified by trace metals contamination. Results. At the local level, trace metals in soils were assessed for urban recreational areas, highways and roads, landfills and industrial zones. The soils in recreational areas were classified as ‘good’, highways and roads are classified as ‘satisfactory’ and ‘poor’, industrial and landfill was classified as ‘very poor’ according to the trace metals contamination. At the regional level, the highest contamination Class was given to the soils of Donetsk and Luhansk regions due to the highest density of industrial areas and performed military activities. The environmental assessment of trace metals contamination in soils due to the military activity was performed for these regions. The results of trace metals determination in Kharkiv according to this method indicate that the most dangerous areas are domestic waste landfills and facilities of the industrial companies. Recreation zones are ranked in Class 2. and the territory near the highways are assessed in quality Class 2 and 3. Assessment of the hazard level of trace metal contamination in the soil by the proposed method will allow making a scientifically substantiated decision on the priority of implementation of environmental measures. Scientific novelty. The paper presents a new method of assessing soil contamination with heavy metals at the regional and local level. The advantage of this method is taking into account the hazard class of pollutants and the self-cleaning index. A new classification of the level of danger of soil contamination with heavy metals has been developed. Practical significance. The use of the proposed methodological approach will contribute to obtaining comparable data when assessing the level of soil contamination by heavy metals and determining the priority of implementing environmental protection measures and increasing the level of environmental safety, which is especially relevant for the post-war recovery of our country.

Characterization of residual solids from mine water passive treatment oxidation ponds at the tar creek superfund site, Oklahoma, USA: Potential for reuse or disposal

Ecologically engineered passive treatment systems have been successfully implemented world-wide to decrease concentrations of ecotoxic metals in mine drainage without continuous energy or material inputs. Typical design life of such treatment systems is approximately 20 years, at which point rehabilitative maintenance must occur. For example, oxidation ponds, designed to accumulate iron (oxyhydr)oxide solids, must be dredged to sustain effective hydraulic retention time, creating large volumes of potentially hazardous waste. In this study, total recoverable and leachable metals in iron (oxyhydr)oxide solids from the oxidation ponds of two multi-cell passive treatment systems in the historic and now derelict Tri-State Lead-Zinc Mining District in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States were characterized using several batch leaching tests. This assessment informs potential disposal and reuse scenarios for the solids once they have been removed from the systems. Solids leached nonhazardous concentrations of metals under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act guidelines. However, some metals exceeded Oklahoma Water Resources Board criteria for protection of public water supplies, and total metals exceeded some consensus-based toxicity benchmarks for soils and sediments. Beneficial reuse plans for the iron (oxyhydr)oxides must consider these potential risks. • Batch leaching tests were used to determine trace metal leachability • Iron oxides from hard rock mine drainage were found to be nonhazardous under RCRA • Leachates from SPLP and FLT exceeded some state water quality standards • Iron oxides contained trace metals exceeding sediment and soil quality guidelines

A Chelating Resin of EDTA-Type Modified Cross-Linking Polystyrene to Preconcentrate Trace Metals for Seawater Detection.

The determination of trace metals in seawater is an important project of marine environmental monitoring. However, the presence of many alkali metal ions with high concentration, such as sodium ion, seriously interferes with the detection limit and accuracy of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS, flame/graphite furnace integrated). The conventional chemical methods for the enrichment of trace metals are complex, and low boiling point organic solvents are used. In this paper, a kind of commercial cross-linked polystyrene resin microspheres was chloromethylated and aminated to introduce EDTA-type amino polycarboxylic groups and then loaded in a column as the absorption filler. A set of seawater pretreatment and enrichment devices was designed and assembled. The enriching process and conditions of trace Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd in standard seawater were studied. 10 g of the modified resin could enrich the equivalent seawater and remove successfully the light metal ions. pH = 5∼9 and 0.2 mL/min of the flow rate were the suitable conditions for preconcentration. The enriched metal ions in the eluent were analyzed on the AAS. Compared with the conventional solvent method, the novel material and enrichment device have high preconcentration efficiency, strong anti-interference ability, and low cost and could be directly applied for routine seawater detection.

Analysis of As(III) By Anodic Stripping Voltammetry Using Disc and Screen Printed Electrodes

Determination of arsenic is possible by various methods such as spectrophotometry, atomic absorption (as arsine), atomic emission, and neutron activation analysis are common. High levels of interference and the high costs of these methods are major drawbacks. Anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) has proved to be a sensitive, precise, and cost-effective electroanalytical technique for determining trace metals. It is routinely used for detecting Pb (II) and Cd (II). The general procedure of this technique involves depositing metal(s) at a reductive potential into Hg electrodes for a certain time and stripping them back into the solution by scanning the potential in the oxidative direction. In this work, the analysis of As (III) by ASV has been investigated using solid and Screen Printed Gold electrodes. Improved detection limits up to 10 ppb could be achieved with relative ease. A highly optimized procedure has been presented for the BASi Epsilon users that automatically provides electrochemical pretreatment in automated fashion along with the built-in differential pulse stripping voltammetry in the next step.

Validation of microwave-assisted digestion and Inductive coupled plasma -mass spectrometer for the determination of trace metals in the soil around Darvill sludgeland and their environmental complications

ABSTRACT This study presents the optimization, validation, and application of microwave-assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the simultaneous determination of trace metals (B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn, and As) in soils from sludgeland. This analytical method was validated according to the requirements of ISO standards for new methods, which include parameters such as linearity, sensitivity and range, accuracy, precision, selectivity, the limit of detection (LOD), the limit of quantification (LOQ), and recoveries. The method demonstrated good linearity with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.999 for all 12 metals of interest. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be between 0.001 and 0.006 µg/L and the Limit of Quantification (LOQ) was between 5 and 200 µg/L. The method was then applied to soil samples from 28 sites where sludge is disposed to assess the presence of trace metals and their concentrations were compared with background concentrations of metals in South Africa. The Cr with the value ranging from 83.5 mg/kg to 480 mg/kg exceeded the limits in all sites while Zn, Co, Ni, As exceeded in some sites. Geo accumulation was then used to categorize the contamination level of soil by trace metals and observed to be strongly contaminated by Zn with values between 1.2 and 3.5 while moderately contaminated by Pb, Ni, Cu, and As with values between 1.3 and 2.7 which poses their environmental risk.

Simultaneous determination of Os, Ir, Pt and Au in sorbent phases by total reflection X-ray fluorescence

Simultaneous determination of trace and ultra-trace noble metal (NM) contents is a challenging analytical problem. Quantification of NMs in a solid sorbent phase by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) was propounded to exclude the problematic stage of analytes desorption. In this study, line overlapping and spectra processing were discussed, theoretical upper limit of area-related mass of the sorbent on a reflector was evaluated, and different quantification procedures were compared. A procedure for the simultaneous determination of Os, Ir, Pt and Au in the solid sorbent phase was developed. This procedure includes sorption of NMs from a diluted solution of a digested sample, TXRF determination of analytes directly in the sorbent phase and data processing using empirical calibration or multivariate regression algorithms (principal component regression, projection on latent structures or partial least squares regression). The procedure allows determining Os, Ir, Pt, Au with a relative error of 15%. Calculated limits of quantification (LOQ) for rocks, considering our sample decomposition procedure, were equal to 0.43, 0.39, 0.43 and 0.31 μg g−1 for Os, Ir, Pt and Au, respectively. The procedure was verified using certificated reference materials and ICP-MS as a reference method.

Pollution level of trace metals (As, Pb, Cr and Cd) in the sediment of Rupsha River, Bangladesh: Assessment of ecological and human health risks

The study area was selected in the Rupsha river basin and the sediment samples were collected to determine trace metal concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, and Cr along with biological effects, and potential ecological and human health hazards for adults and children. The concentrations of trace metals were detected from sixty composite sediment samples using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) following some sequential analytical procedures. The mean concentrations of trace metals were organized in the descending order of chromium (Cr) (43.2 mg/kg) > lead (Pb) (29.21 mg/kg) > arsenic (As) (5.18 mg/kg) > cadmium (Cd) (1.8 mg/kg). The current study highlighted that metals were attributed to the riverine sediments from natural sources and other anthropogenic sources, particularly from various industries. Based on the effect-range classifications of threshold effect concentration (TEC) and probable effect concentration (PEC), the trace metal concentrations can impact on the sediment-dwelling organisms occasionally especially for Cr, Cd, and Pb. That is, the concentrations had negative biological consequences on aquatic creatures. The assessed potential ecological risk of Cd offers a significant risk to the aquatic ecosystem, whereas As, Cr, and Cd were in low-risk. Most of the sites of the study area were within the range of moderate risk, indicated by the risk index (RI) values. Furthermore, the applied sediment quality indices, geo-accumulation index (Igeo) indicated that sediment was contaminated by Cd whereas contamination factor (CF) denoted that the sediment of the study area was moderately polluted by Pb. However, pollution load index (PLI) revealed that the study area was polluted for cumulative sence especially in winter season. The age-group risk index (HI) was much lower than the threshold limit of 1, showing that the pollution had no non-carcinogenic risk effect. Total carcinogenic risk (TCR) was less than one-tenth of a percentile. For the sake of human and environmental health, proper monitoring of metal element attribution and strict regulation are required to lessen trace metal pollution.