Enrichment Factors For Cu Research Articles

On-line preconcentration and determination of trace elements in waters and reference cereal materials by flow injection – FAAS using newly synthesized 8-hydroxy-2-quinoline carboxaldehyde functionalized Amberlite XAD-4

Abstract A new chelating resin has been developed using Amberlite XAD-4 resin anchored with 8-hydroxy-2-quinoline carboxaldehyde through C N group. The synthesized resin, characterized by infrared spectroscopy, was used as packing for the minicolumn in an on-line preconcentration system for cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese and nickel (Cd, Co Cu, Pb, Mn and Ni) determination. Metal ions retained on the modified resin were eluted using 1.0 mol L−1 HNO3 solution and aspirated directly to the nebulizer–burner system of a FAAS instrument using a flow injection system. Optimum hydrodynamic and chemical conditions for metal sorption were investigated. Detection limits (3σ) were determined to be 0.14 μg L−1 for Cd, 0.35 μg L−1 for Cu, 0.26 μg L−1 for Mn, 0.70 μg L−1 for Co, 0.72 μg L−1 for Ni and 2.92 μg L−1 for Pb using a 10 mL sample loading. Enrichment factors for Cu(II), Mn(II), Co(II), Pb(II), Ni(II) and Cd(II) were found to be 22.3, 24.7, 23.2, 24.1, 20.2 and 27.6, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of analytes in water samples, and in food samples such as cereal certified reference materials.

Geochemical evidence of the anthropogenic alteration of element composition in lacustrine sediments from Wuliangsu Lake, north China

Wuliangsu Lake is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and its catchment is found in the Hetao Basin, one of the three largest irrigation districts in China. A 56 cm-length sediment core was collected from the south side of the lake. Geochronology radiometric methods using 137Cs and 210Pb were subsequently used to date the short sediment core. The concentrations of elements (Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Ti, Co, V, Cr, Be, Ba, Sr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Ni, and P) were studied in the solid phase at each 1-cm section. Based on correlation analysis and principal component analysis, four groups of elements were identified. The first group included total P, Cu, and Mn, which indicate anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, industry, and sewage effluents. The second group included Co, Pb and Zn that were influenced by both anthropogenic and natural factors. The third group consisted of Ca and Sr. The concentration profiles of Ca and Sr displayed a negative correlation with the remaining elements (Al, K, Fe, Mg, Be, etc.), which comprised the fourth group that were mainly terrigenous. In addition, the enrichment factors (EFs) for all elements, used as a means of identifying and quantifying human interference, was evaluated. The EFs for Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn, Co and P showed significant variation. Finally, with constrained clustering analysis of EFs for Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn, Co and P, the stages of regional environment were orderly and objectively divided. Before the 1960s, EFs for heavy metals displayed relatively constant values, suggesting a little human influence. The increasing severity of heavy metal accumulation, evidenced by enhancement of EFs for heavy metals, began to appear in the 1960s, which corresponded to local environmental development and therefore reflects strengthened human impacts. The EFs of total phosphorus and heavy metals then increased rapidly especially at the beginning of the 21st century.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Sediments along the Jiangsu Lagoon

Abstract: In this study we have worked on the evaluation of heavy metal contamination in the sediments taken from the Jiangsu lagoon and thereby used the Enrichment factor (EF), Pollution load index (PLI), Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), Potential ecological risk index (PERI), Potential ecological risk index (PERI), Potential toxicity response index (PTRI) and Risk assessment code (RAC) and the methods of statistical analysis. The average EF of Zn is found to be less than 2, and the average EF of Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb and Ni are found to be greater than 2 in Jiangsu lagoon.The EF for Pb, Cd and Cr are higher along the Jiangsu lagoon and harbor, which reveals the anthropogenic contribution to the increased content of the surface sediments of the Jiangsu coast. PLI values calculated for Yancheng suggest that this zone is appreciably less impacted by metal pollutants than Nantong. Zn (Igeo(mean)<0), as unpolluted to moderately polluted with Cu (0<Igeo(mean)<1), moderately polluted with Ni (1<Igeo(mean)<2), moderate to strongly polluted with Cd (2<Igeo(mean)<3), and strongly polluted with Cr and Pb (3<Igeo(mean)<4). The potential ecological risk indices of Cu, Zn and Ni in 9 stations in Lianyungang coast were lower than 40, which indicated slight potential ecological risk of three metals in 9 stations.Potential ecological risk indices of Cu, Zn and Cd in 9 stations in Yancheng lagoon were lower than 40, which indicated slight potential ecological risk of two metals in 9 stations. The sediments show a medium risk for Cu with PERI value greater than 40 indicating a moderate risk from sediments across the entire Nantong region. The amount of Cu and Ni with low risk, while Cd with moderate, with high risk in Lianyungang coast. Cu, Zn and Cd with low risk, while Cr and Ni with moderate risk, but, the Pb with very high risk in Yancheng coast. Cu and Zn with low risk, Cr and Ni with medium risk, Pb,Cd with high risk in Nantong coast.

Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Pollution and ecological risk assessment in street dust of Tehran

50 street dust samples from four major streets in eastern and southern Tehran, the capital of Iran, were analyzed for metal pollution (Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, Cd, Zn, Fe, Mn and Li). Hakanson's method was used to determine the Risk Index (RI) and ecological risks. Amongst these samples, 21 were also analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Correlation, cluster and principal component analyses identified probable natural and anthropogenic sources of contaminants. The dust had elevated concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Fe and PAHs. Enrichment factors of Cu, Pb, Cd and Zn showed that the dust is extremely enriched in these metals. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed that Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe and PAHs and, to a lesser extent, Cr and Ni have common anthropogenic sources. While Mn and Li were identified to have natural sources, Cd may have different anthropogenic origins. All samples demonstrated high ecological risk. Traffic and related activities, petrogenic and pyrogenic sources are likely to be the main anthropogenic sources of heavy metals and PAHs in Tehran dust.

Estimation of sediment accumulation rates using naturally occuring 210Pb models in Gülbahçe Bay, Aegean Sea, Turkey

The sediment chronology was determined using Lead-210 (210Pb) dating method in Gülbahçe Bay. Sediment cores were obtained using gravity core sampler from hydrothermal area and also from reference point and surfical distribution of Polonium-210 (210Po) was investigated in the study area. The average of surfical concentration of 210Po was found as 175.25 ± 3.80 Bq kg−1 in the hydrothermal area which was higher than the reference point value of 133.20 ± 3.30 Bq kg−1. Sedimentation rates in Core reference point (RN) displayed an increase till the year 1942 and a decrease afterwards, sedimentation rates in any core from hydrothermal area have not exhibited any continuous increase or decrease. The 210Pb fluxes measured from core inventories are close to each other. Average enrichment factors for Cu, Cd, Sr, Zn, Cr vary between 20.35 and 12.18 indicating that the sediments have been contaminated with these metals in the reference point. Maximum enrichment factor values for Cr, Cu, Zn, Ba, Sr, Ni, Co vary between 22.91 and 11.42, implying that the sediments in hydrothermal area have been contaminated with these metals.

Impact of a Mixed “Industrial and Domestic” Wastewater Effluent on the Southern Coastal Sediments of Sfax (Tunisia) in the Mediterranean Sea

Concentrations of Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb and Fe in surface marine sediments of the southern coast of Sfax were studied in order to understand current metal contamination at the outlet of a mixed industrial and domestic wastewater effluent discharged into the seawater since 1953. We found that heavy metal concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) in surface marine sediments varied from 42 to 391 for Zn, 15 to 44 for Cu, 44 to 137 for Cr, 6 to 56 for Cd, 19 to 59 for Pb and 52344 to 54543 for Fe. The computed metal enrichment factors (EF) in the sediments showed that EF of Zn ranged from 0.49 to 9.13, EF of Cu from 0.35 to 3.04, EF of Cr from 0.3 to 3.05, EF of Cd from 0.63 to 9.37 and EF of Pb from 0.43 to 3. All heavy metals were characterized by maxima EF values greater than 1.5, indicating a considerable metallic pollution of the study area. The PCA analysis revealed two distinct groups: (i) the first group (G 1 ) is representative of Fe selected as natural tracer and (ii) the second group (G 2 ) is articulated around Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd and Pb. These metals which did not show any correlations with Fe of the first group imply a significantly impact of the selected wastewater effluent. The calculation of the geoaccumulation index (I geo ) showed that all analyzed metals (except for Fe) can be considered as moderate to extreme pollutants. The microbial analysis of seawater samples and also of both water and sediment samples collected from the Sfax solar saltern (placed at the vicinity of the outlet of the selected effluent) showed that no indicator germs of contamination (total coliforms, faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci) were detected.

The Analysis of Water-Soluble Ions and Inorganic Elements in Atmospheric Particulates, Chancheng, Foshan, China

This paper investigated the concentrations of the water-soluble ions (e.g. SO42-, NO3- )and the inorganic elements in the atmospheric particulate, Chancheng, Foshan, China. The samples were collected on the roof of Liangtang Urban Air Automatic Monitoring Station, Chancheng, Foshan, in September and December, 2009. The NO3-/SO42- ratios of the PM10 in September and December are 0.20 and 0.62 respectively, but these of the PM2.5 in September and December are 0.14 and 0.36, respectively. It is clearly that the air pollution in Chancheng, Foshan is mainly from stationary source. The concentrations of the PM2.5 and PM10 in September are great lower than these in December. The concentrations of SO42- in atmospheric particulate, Chancheng, Foshan were nearly same for September and December, but the concentration of NO3- in September is considerable lower than that of December. It probably related to the weather conditions in September e.g. high temperature, high humidity and strong solar radiation, those are conducive to the photochemical reaction of SO2 to form SO42-, also conducive to the volatilization of the NO3-. The percentages of Ca, Al, Fe, K in the inorganic elements of atmospheric particulate ranged from 10 wt% to 20 wt%, so these elements were the major components of the atmospheric particulate. The results showed that the enrichment factors of Cu, Pb, Zn in atmospheric particulates, Chancheng, Foshan were >50, indicating highly enrichment and pollution level V.

Synthesis of a novel nanostructured ion-imprinted polymer for very fast and highly selective recognition of copper(II) ions in aqueous media

This work reports the preparation of a new Cu 2+-imprinted polymeric (IIP) nanoparticles, using 1,4-dihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (quinizarin; QZ) as a ligand. The Cu 2+ ion found to form a stable 1:1 complex with QZ in dimethylsulfoxide solution. The resulting Cu 2+–QZ complex was polymerized with ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, as a cross-linking monomer, via precipitation polymerization method. The imprint copper ion was removed from the polymeric matrix using 0.1 M HNO 3. The Cu 2+-imprinted polymeric nanoparticles were characterized by IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and elemental analysis. The SEM micrographs showed colloidal nanoparticles of 60–110 nm in diameter and slightly irregular in shape. Optimum pH for maximum sorption was 7.0. Sorption and desorption of Cu 2+ ion on the IIP nanoparticles were quite fast and achieved completely over entire investigated time periods of 2–30 min. Maximum sorbent capacity and enrichment factor for Cu 2+ were 346.3 μmol g −1 and 18.4, respectively. The relative standard deviation and detection limit (3 σ) of the method were evaluated as 0.97% and 0.3 ng mL −1, respectively. It was found that imprinting results in increased affinity of the material toward Cu 2+ ion over other competitor metal ions with the same charge and close ionic radius. The prepared IIP was repeatedly used and regenerated for 12 times without a significant decrease in polymer binding affinity.

Levels of Heavy Metals Pollution in Different Types of Soil of Central Greece

This investigation was performed in order to clarify the degree of heavy metals pollution in forest, agricultural and industrial surface soil samples in relation to pre-anthropogenic soils of Almyros region, in Central Greece. In 2004 and 2005 soil samples were collected and analysed for available (DTPA method) and total (Aqua Regia method) Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni concentrations. For each metal the enrichment factor with respect to the levels in pre-anthropogenic soils was calculated. All the types of soils appeared to be less polluted than in other investigations. In agricultural and industrial soils the available Cd concentration was higher than the other metals studied. The enrichment factor of Cu in relation to total concentration has the maximum value of the metals studied.

A stoichiometric imprinted chelating resin for selective recognition of copper(II) ions in aqueous media

This work reports the preparation of a new copper(II) ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) material, using 5,6;14,15-dibenzo-1,4-dioxa-8,12-diazacyclopentadecane-5,14-diene (DBDA15C4) and 2-vinylpyridine (VP) as a non-vinylated chelating agent and a functional vinyl monomer, respectively. The Cu 2+ ion can form stable complexes with DBDA15C4 and VP. The stoichiometries of Cu 2+–DBDA15C4 and ternary Cu 2+–DBDA15C4-VP complexes were elucidated using conductometric and spectrophotometric methods, and found to be Cu 2+(DBDA15C4), Cu 2+(DBDA15C4) 2 and Cu 2+(DBDA15C4)(VP) 2. The results obtained from solution studies were also supported by ab initio theoretical calculations. The resulting ternary complex Cu 2+(DBDA15C4)(VP) 2 was copolymerized with ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate, as a cross-linking monomer, via bulk polymerization method. The imprinted copper ion was removed from the polymeric matrix by 0.1 M HNO 3. The Cu 2+-imprinted polymer particles were characterized by IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Optimum pH range for rebinding of Cu 2+ on the IIP and equilibrium binding time were 7.0–7.5 and 45 min, respectively. Sorbent capacity and enrichment factor for Cu 2+ were obtained as 75.3 ± 1.9 μmol g −1 and 100, respectively. In selectivity study, it was found that imprinting results in increased affinity of the material toward Cu 2+ ion over other competitor metal ions with the same charge and close ionic radius. The prepared IIPs were repeatedly used and regenerated for five times without a significant decrease in polymer binding affinities.

Major to ultra trace elements in rainfall collected in suburban Tokyo

Major to ultra trace elements such as rare earth elements (REEs), platinum group elements (PGEs) in 20 rainfall events from suburban Tokyo were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Anion species were also determined by an ion chromatography (IC). The concentrations of PGEs were so low that only Pt was detected in some rainfall events. Enrichment factors (EFs), refer to soil and sea salt components, were calculated for the measured elements (with Al and Na as references). Be, (Na), Mg, (Al), Si, Cl, K, Fe, Rb, Sr, REEs (except La, Gd), Ta, and U were mostly originated from natural materials (soil and sea salt). For Li, B, Ca, Mn, Sr, Ba, and Cs, the contribution of natural materials was significant. EFs for Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sb, Cd, Pb, Bi, Ag, Te, Au, Pt, SO 4-S and NO 3-N exceeded 100 indicating non-crustal, non-sea salt origin, presumably anthropogenic; however, contribution of volcanic gases could not be excluded for As, Se, Te and Bi. Pt seemed to be uniformly distributed worldwide and a catalyst for automobile emission control may be the main source. Au also showed uniform distribution. On the other hand, EFs for Zr, Nb, Hf and Th were less than unity. Probably these elements resided in acid resistant refractory fine minerals that did not decompose with acid treatment, and did not evaporate and ionize in the ICP. An alternative explanation is that the concentration of these elements was lower in the soil of the sampling area than the average crust. In the crust normalized REE pattern plot, La, Eu and Gd showed clear positive anomalies. La and Gd could have anthropogenic components. A possible source of La and Gd is cracking catalyst for petrol refining, but this source does not fully explain the anomaly. The source of Gd may also be Gd-DTPA (Gadolinium (III) diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid) used for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agents. The Eu origin may be soil with higher concentration than the crust average.

Determination of trace amounts of copper in river and sea water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after cloud-point preconcentration

A new preconcentration method was proposed using the cloud point approach for copper determination. The reagent 1,5-diphenyl-benzoin (Cupron) was used as a complexing agent and Triton X-114 was added as a surfactant. After phase separation, dilution of the surfactant-rich phase was carried out using acidified methanol and the copper content was subsequently measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. After optimization of the complexation and extraction conditions, the enrichment factor for Cu was found to be 88. The proposed procedure allowed determination of the copper content with the detection limit of 0.04 µg L-1. The method was successfully applied to copper determination in river and sea water samples. The relative standard deviation for the method was found to be 1.9 % for Cu. The interference effects of some anions and cations were also investigated.

Dispersion of Heavy Metals (Metalloids) in Soils from 800-Year-Old Pollution (Mont-Lozère, France)

Numerous palaeo metallurgical sites (n = 70) characterized by slag presenting a homogeneous typology have been reported on the Mont-Lozère Massif (Southern France). These activities took place in the medieval period. The silicated slag matrix comprises mainly Pb (25%), Sb (0.4%), and several thousand parts per million of As, Cu, and Zn. Soil samples were collected in and around two sites, to understand the dispersion mechanism affecting the slag tailings through use of metal concentrations and lead isotopic compositions. The majority of polluted soil samples show high enrichment factors (EF) for Pb and Sb, slightly lower EFs for Cu, and much lower EFs for As and Zn. We show that this "old" metal pollution was physically dispersed, through erosion of workshop soils and slag tailings, in a restricted area (ca. 200 m down slope form the site). There is no evidence for massive leaching of slag metals by soil waters, except for Zn. Thus, the pollution is mainly due to the metal-making process, i.e., smoke-fallout, pieces of ore, the crackling of smelting ore outside the oven during reduction, and charcoal, etc. The lead isotopic compositions of the soils define a binary mixing trend between local granite or background soil and slag (which represent the workshop soil). Simple mass balance equations using either Pb isotopes or Pb concentrations suggest that between 40 and 100% of the total Pb in soils comes from the Medieval workshop pollution, leaving any later pollution negligible. The large number of sites on the Mont-Lozère means this medieval pollution is significant and poses a real environmental risk.

Trace metals in sediments from Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia

Sediments in Lake Illawarra have been investigated by deep and shallow coring to provide a comprehensive appraisal of the sediment-bound natural (background) and more recent (i.e., industrial era) trace metal concentrations. The distribution of Cu, Pb and Zn in the upper 20 cm of sediment is directly related to the proportion of mud-dominated sediment forming the central floor of the lake. Trace metal enrichment factors for Cu, Pb and Zn were generally less than 2.5 with the exception of the southern portion of Griffins Bay where the factors were greater than 1.8, 3.5 and 5.8 for Cu, Pb and Zn respectively. According to ANZECC and ARMCANZ (2000) protocols, the sediments can be generally classified as low risk, although the sediments present in the southern part of Griffins Bay can exceed the high guideline value (ISQG-high) of 420 ppm for Zn and the low guideline values (ISQG-low) of 65 ppm and 50 ppm for Cu and Pb respectively. These sediments warrant further investigation in the form of `bioavailability’ and biotoxicity testing. Future work could be directed towards an assessment of the acid generation potential of these sediments due to the potential for pyrite oxidation facilitated by dredging and exposure to the atmosphere.

Evaluation of yeast strains as possible agents for trace enrichment of metal ions in aquatic environments

Sorption properties of six yeast strains were evaluated for trace enrichment of metal ions; Cd 2+, Cr 3+, Cr 6+, Cu 2+, Pb 2+, and Zn 2+ from aqueous environments. Metal concentration was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The results showed that trace enrichment of the metals under study with yeast, was dependent on the pH and available metal ions. Enrichment time of 30 min gave an optimum metal uptake. The presence of Na +, K +, and Ca 2+ suppressed the uptake of Pb by less than 5%, but suppressed the uptake of Zn by between 15 and 25%. Mg 2+, Cu +, Cu 2+, Cr 3+ Cr 6+, Cd 2+, and Zn 2+ suppressed the uptake of Pb by between 25 and 35%, and that of Zn by between 15 and 25%. For both Pb and Zn, Cd had the highest suppression of 35 and 30%, respectively for baker's yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Baker's yeast achieved enrichment factors (EF) of 23, 4, 100, and 1 for dam water, stream water, treated wastewater, and industrial effluent samples for Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr, respectively. The recoveries of optimised Cd and Cr samples spiked with 2 μg ml −1 of the metal could reach up to 90%, but never exceeded 66% for 10 μg ml −1 samples. For Cu and Pb, the recoveries generally increased independent of concentration, however they were not as high as those for Zn, which exceeded 90% for all the samples spiked with 10 μg ml −1 of the metal. S. cerevisiae PR 61/3 had the highest EF for Cr as compared to the other yeast strains. S. cerevisiae PRI 60/78 was the only yeast strain which was able to enrich Cd in all the samples. Baker's yeast had the highest EFs for Cu and Zn as compared to the other yeast strains without pH adjustment of the water samples. Candida tropicalis attained the highest EFs for Pb as compared to the other yeast strains. The results indicate that all the yeast strains used had a high affinity for Zn based on the EF values achieved. The results from these studies demonstrate that yeast is a viable trace metal enrichment agent that can be used freely suspended in solution to enrich metal ions at relatively low concentrations. This has ramifications on the traditional methods of sampling, sample collection, and transportation from remote sampling sites.

Sulphoxine immobilized onto chitosan microspheres by spray drying: application for metal ions preconcentration by flow injection analysis

A new chelating resin based on chitosan biopolymer modified with 5-sulphonic acid 8-hydroxyquinoline using the spray drying technique for immobilization is proposed. The chelating resin was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface area by nitrogen sorption. The efficiency of the chelating resin was evaluated by the preconcentration of metal ions Cu(II) and Cd(II) present in aqueous samples in trace amounts. The metal ions were previously enriched in a minicolumn and the concentrations of the analytes were determined on-line by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The maximum retention for Cu(II) occurred in the pH range 8–10, and for Cd(II) at pH 7. The optimum flow rate for sorption was found to be 7.2mlmin−1 for the preconcentration of the metal ions. The analytes gave relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of 0.7 and 0.6% for solutions containing 20μgl−1 of Cu(II) and 15μgl−1 of Cd (II), respectively (n=7). The enrichment factors for Cu(II) and Cd (II) were 19.1 and 13.9, respectively, and the limits of detection (LOD) were 0.2μgl−1 for Cd(II) and 0.3μgl−1 for Cu(II), using a preconcentration time of 90s (n=11). The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by the metal ion recovery technique, in the analysis of potable water and water from a lake, with recoveries being between 97.2 and 107.3%.

The use of silica-immobilized brown alga ( Pilayella littoralis) for metal preconcentration and determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The brown alga Pilayella littoralis was used as a new biosorbent in an on-line metal preconcentration procedure in a flow-injection system. Al, Co, Cu and Fe were determined in lake water samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after preconcentration in a silica-immobilized alga column. Like other algae, P. littoralis exhibited strong affinity for these metals proving to be an effective accumulation medium. Metals were bound at pH 5.5 and were displaced at pH<2 with diluted HCl. The enrichment factors for Cu II, Fe III, Al III and Co II were 13, 7, 16 and 11, respectively. Metal sorption efficiency ranged from 86 to 90%. The method accuracy was assessed by using drinking water certified reference material and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) as a comparison technique. The column procedure allowed a less time consuming, easy regeneration of the biomaterial and rigidity of the alga provided by its immobilization on silica gel.

Pyrogallol Immobilized Amberlite XAD-2: A Newly Designed Collector for Enrichment of Metal Ions Prior to their Determination by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Pyrogallol is covalently linked with the benzene ring of Amberlite XAD-2, through an azo (–N=N–) spacer group and the resulting new polymer characterized by elemental analyses, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and infrared (IR) spectra. It has been used for separation and preconcentration of Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Mn(II), Fe(III) and U(VI) prior to their determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) or fluorimetry (for U(VI) only). The pH ranges for quantitative sorption are 5.5–6.5, 5.5–7.5, 5.5–7.0, 5.5–7.0, 5.5–6.5, 5.5–6.5, 5.5–8.0, 5.5–6.2 and 5.5–6.2, respectively, for the nine metal ions, which can be desorbed (recovery 90–99%) with 4 mol L−1 HNO3 or HCl. The sorption capacity of the resin has been found to be in the range 4.10 to 6.71 mg of metal g−1 of dry resin. The loading half time (t1/2) was ≤3.3 min for all the metal ions. The effects of NaF, NaCl, NaNO3, Na2SO4, and Na3PO4 on the sorption of these metal ions (0.2 µg mL−1) are reported. The Ca(II) and Mg(II) are tolerable up to a concentration level of 40–400 and 25–240 µg mL−1, respectively. The enrichment factor for Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Mn(II), Fe(III) and U(VI) has been found to be 65, 40, 65, 120, 25, 160, 120, 140, and 70 (concentration level 2–25 ng mL−1), respectively. The limit of detection for these nine metal ions is 5.0, 1.3, 5.0, 4.0, 25.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 1.0 ng mL−1, respectively. After enrichment on the present matrix, the flame AAS method has been applied to determine these metal ions (except U) in river water samples (RSD ≤ 7%) and well water (RSD ≤ 8%). Uranium present in well water samples has been enriched on the present matrix and determined by a fluorimetric method (RSD ≤ 6%). The cobalt present in pharmaceutical vitamin tablets was also preconcentrated with the aid of the present chelating resin and determined by FAAS to be 1.93 µg g−1 (RSD ∼4%).

Lead isotopic and chalcophile element compositions in the environment near a zinc smelting–secondary zinc recovery facility, Palmerton, Pennsylvania, USA

The environment surrounding Palmerton, Pennsylvania is contaminated with Pb arising from primary Zn smelting and a process involving Zn recovery from electric arc steel furnace dusts. Lead isotope systematics have been used to distinguish primary Zn smelting Pb ( 206Pb/ 204Pb∼18.4–18.5) from electric arc furnace dust lead ( 206Pb/ 204Pb∼19.0–19.1). Primary Zn smelting is the dominant source of Pb in O2 horizon soils from undisturbed near-Palmerton locations, which contain up to 3570 ppm Pb and 782 ppm Cd. Soils from undeveloped near-Palmerton locations also exhibit unusually elevated concentrations of other sphalerite-derived chalcophilic elements (Se, Ag, In, Sb, Te, Au, Hg, Tl and Bi); indium concentrations of up to 17.0 ppm are observed therein. Residential soils and dusts from Palmerton contain Pb which is largely explainable via mixing of Pb from primary Zn smelting and electric arc furnace dusts. Approximately 80% of the Pb in airborne particulate matter sampled at Palmerton in 1991 is derived from electric arc furnace dusts, and atmospheric enrichment factors for Cu, Sb, Pb, and Bi are observed which confirm this major source contribution. Residential samples from a control location contain Pb which is less radiogenic than is found in Palmerton, and exhibit no unusual elevation in sphalerite elements. Lead source discrimination in the Palmerton environment via Pb isotopic and elemental constituents approaches result in parallel conclusions.

The highly polluted Lambro river(N. Italy): Dissolved and solid transport of Cu, Cr and Fe

The modes of transport of Cu, Cr and Fe have been studied in the river Lambro, a highly polluted tributary of the river Po. Twenty-one samples were taken over the period November 1990–March 1992. Fe concentration was consistent with the geochemical nature of the drainage basin, while the high enrichment factors for Cu and Cr (7 and 18 respectively) confirmed a major anthropic contribution to the levels of these metals. The influence of flow, suspended matter and other factors on metal transport by the dissolved and particulate phases were analysed. Suspended matter, as expected, was found to be the main metal transport vehicle. Comparison of Lambro partitioning coefficients with those for the Po, and with other published values, revealed that dissolved phase transport was also important, as found for other industrially polluted rivers. Total metal concentrations were mainly influenced by water flow. The annual metal loads for the Lambro were estimated from the data and indicate that the Lambro contributes 20% of Cu, 9.4% of Cr and 3.6% of Fe to pollution loads in the Po.