Effects of stirring rate for thermal runaway reaction in cumene hydroperoxide manufacturing process using calorimetric techniques

A high temperature (1000 °C) thermochemical process for heavy metal removal from sewage sludge ash via the chloride pathway was investigated by thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). TG and DTA measurements gave information about secession and evaporation of water, HCl, and heavy metal chlorides at different temperatures. Additionally, gaseous water and hydrochloric acid which occurred in the process were detected by an FT-IR detector that was coupled to the TG/DTA-system. Heavy metal chlorides which were also formed in the process cannot be detected by this technique. For that reason the outlet gas of the TG/DTA-system was discharged into washing flasks filled with water for absorption. The washing flasks were replaced in temperature steps of 50 °C and the heavy metal concentrations of the solutions were determined by ICP-OES. The temperature-dependent formation/evaporation of different heavy metal chlorides was analyzed and compared for two different thermochemical processes using magnesium chloride hydrate or calcium chloride hydrate as Cl-donors. In both cases evaporation of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn was observed from 600 °C, whereas As, Cr, and Ni remained in the solid state. The results were discussed against the background of thermodynamic calculations.     

Determination of Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr and Zn in red wine samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy: Evaluation of preliminary sample treatments

A comparative study of sample treatment for removing the organic matter (mainly alcohol) to analyse red wine samples for metal content (Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr and Zn) from ICP-OES has been carried out. Thus, three procedures have been assayed before metal analysis: Dry ashing (DA), wet ashing (WA) and the removal of alcohol by evaporation (AR). The obtained results showed that the three methods lead to unbiased recoveries close to 100%. However, the uncertainty of AR method was about twice of the remainder ones. From practical considerations, the DA procedure was considered more suitable for determining metal elements in wine samples by ICP-OES.     

Stripping analysis of heavy metals in tap water using the bismuth film electrode

A commercially available screen-printed carbon electrode coated with an ex situ deposited bismuth film (BiSPCE) has been applied to the determination of Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions in tap water (Barcelona water distribution network) by means of stripping voltammetry (SV) and stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP). A good reproducibility of the measurements and a satisfactory agreement between SV and SCP data were observed for both heavy metal ions. Although, in principle, the procedure could be also suited to the determination of Cd(II), this species was not detected. The results were also consistent with the routine ICP-OES measurements of the water distribution company, thus confirming the potential usefulness of such BiSPCE disposable devices for the analysis of heavy metals in natural waters.      

电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-OES)测定水系沉积物中6种重金属元素

建立了自动消解仪消解-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-OES)同时测定水系沉积物中Cu,Zn,Ni,Cr,Pb,Co 6种元素含量的方法。方法中6种元素的检出限为0.000 2~0.02mg/L,工作曲线的相关系数均大于0.999。方法经国家标准物质(GBW07361)验证,准确度和精密度均能达到环境监测分析的要求,为水系沉积物中重金属元素含量的测定提供了简单可靠的分析方法。     

The determination of heavy metal accumulation ratios in muscle, skin and gills of some migratory fish species by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in Beymelek Lagoon (Antalya/Turkey)

In this study, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), magnesium (mg), nickel (Ni), chrome (Cr), cobalt (Co) and boron (B) accumulation ratios of muscle, skin and gill of Striped seabream (Sparidae, Lithognathus mormyrus), Golden grey mullet (Mugilidae, Liza aurata), Thicklip grey mullet (Mugilidae, Chelon labrasus), Flathead mullet (Mugilidae, Mugil cephalus), Gilthead seabream (Sparidae, Sparus aurata) and Thinlip mullet (Mugilidae, Liza ramada) in Beymelek Lagoon (Antalya/Turkey) were investigated. The analyses of elements were performed with inductively coupled plasma-optic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) by using microwave digestion techniques. There were significant variations among heavy metal accumulation levels of the species and their tissues. The heavy metal concentrations found in tissues varied for Cu: 0.28-5.11, Zn: 4.27-339.76, Mn: 0.0-12.81, Fe: 3.25-117.73, Cr: 0.0-1.40, Co: 0.0-3.29 and Mg: 168.73-659.16 mg/kg wet weight. Ni and B were not detected in any tissues of the species. The heavy metal concentrations of fish in Beymelek Lagoon were lower than those of fish from other contaminated Mediterranean regions of Turkey. This research showed that heavy metal concentrations in muscles of investigated species were also lower than the maximum levels set by law.     

Direct solid sampling electrothermal vaporization of alumina for analysis by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A procedure based on electrothermal evaporation (ETV) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for the determination of trace impurities in Al₂O₃ powders without any sample pretreatment is presented. With the aid of matrix modifier the transport and the evaporation efficiency for refractory compounds could be increased by forming halides with a lower boiling point. As calibration is still a problem in direct solid sample analysis, different calibration approaches including the use of certified reference materials from NIST and standard addition of aqueous solutions of analytes were discussed. The accuracy obtained with calibration and with the standard addition method was shown up for the elements Ca, Fe, Ga, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni and V for the case of Al₂O₃ NIST standard reference material (SRM 699). The ETV–ICP-OES method was used for the analysis of Al₂O₃ powders with impurities in the low μg/g range and the results for the elements Ca, Fe, Ga, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni and V obtained with evaporation of discrete powder amounts with ETV–ICP-OES and slurry evaporation under the use of ultrasonic homogenization during the sampling and ETV–ICP-MS were shown to be in a good agreement.     

电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-OES)与石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定饮用水中重金属元素的比较

通过对比电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-OES)与石墨炉原子吸收光谱法(AAS)测定水中重金属的检出限、重复性、加标回收率等实验,验证两种方法的准确性,从而为饮用水中重金属的测定提供可靠的方法。结果表明,石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定饮用水中砷、镉、铬、铅、汞、硒的检出限均低于ICP-OES法,但ICP-OES法测定线性范围宽,重复性和加标回收率均优于石墨炉原子吸收光谱法,分析速度快,操作便捷,结果满意,是目前饮用水中重金属测定非常可靠的方法。     

Investigation of alumina-based ceramic materials using ICP-OES with external electrothermal vaporization

Summary The aim of this work was to develop a method based on ICP-OES for the determination of trace elements in alumina-based ceramic powders containing SiO₂ and MgO, respectively, and to study the evaporation and excitation of several elements by using external electrothermal vaporization. This method has the advantage of easy preparation, no dilution and short experiment durations. The evaporation mechanism was investigated separately from the excitation processes by means of radioactive⁵⁹Fe and¹¹⁵Cd isotopes. The influence of different thermochemical additives, as well as third elements and matrix compositions was determined.

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Untersuchung von Aluminiumoxid-haltigem keramischem Material mit Hilfe der ICP-OES mit externer elektrothermischer Verdampfung

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Tölg on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

ICP-OES法与石墨炉原子吸收法测定饮用水中重金属元素比较

通过对比电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-OES)与石墨炉原子吸收法(AAS)测定水中重金属的检出限、重复性、加标回收率等实验,验证两种方法的准确性,从而为饮用水中重金属的测定提供可靠的方法。结果表明,石墨炉原子吸收法测定饮用水中砷、镉、铬、铅、汞、硒检出限均低于ICP-OES法,但ICP-OES法测定线性范围宽,重复性和加标回收率均优于石墨炉原子吸收法,分析速度快,操作便捷,结果满意,是目前饮用水中重金属的测定非常可靠的方法。     

Dye-doped nanostructure polypyrrole film for electrochemically switching solid-phase microextraction of Ni(II) and ICP-OES analysis of waste water

A nanostructure fiber based on conducting polypyrrole synthesized by an electrochemical method has been developed, and used for electrochemically switching solid-phase microextraction (ES-SPME). The ES-SPME was prepared by the doping of eriochrome blue in polypyrrole (PPy-ECB) and used for selectively extracting the Ni(II) cation in the presence of some transition and heavy metal ions. The cation-exchange behavior of electrochemically prepared polypyrrole on stainless-steel with and without eriochrome blue (ECB) dye was characterized using ICP-OES analysis. The effects of the scan rate for electrochemical synthesis, uptake and the release potential on the extraction behavior of the PPy-ECB conductive fiber were studied. Uptake and release time profiles show that the process of electrically switched cation exchange could be completed within 250 s. The results of the present study point concerning the possibility of developing a selective extraction process for Ni(II) from waste water was explored using such a nanostructured PPy-ECB film through an electrically switched cation exchange.     

Use and limitations of ICP-OES in wine analysis

At present, some 50 inorganic components in wine can be detected, of which 8 are mineral matter at concentrations down to 1 mg/l, about 25 are trace elements with concentrations of 0.001–0.1 mg/l, and about 20 are ultratrace elements at concentrations below 1 g/1. It has been shown that ICP-OES, a typical multielement detection method, permits the fast and reliable simultaneous determination of whole range of these inorganic species in wine, and thus can help in solving practical problems in wine manufacture. For instance, the metal content of wine can be checked, and corrosion and contamination monitored. Ten trace elements (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, V, Zn) which may be toxic or to which wine is sensitive, can be determined, and their decrease through fermentation and fining established. Above all, ICP-OES seems suitable for defining the grape type and origin of wines in wine taxonomy (pattern analysis). Data obtained by ICP-OES can also help in assigning a vintage year.Presented in part at the 1989 European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Reutte, Austria     

Heavy metal and trace element accumulation in muscle,liver and gills of the Pontic shad (Alosa immaculata Bennet 1835) from the Danube River (Serbia)

Pontic shad (Alosa immaculata Bennet 1835) is an anadromous species that lives in the heavily polluted north-western part of the Black Sea and migrates into the Danube River to spawn. To assess their heavy metal contamination levels, samples of Pontic shad were collected at 863 river kilometre of the Danube River. Muscle, liver and gill samples were prepared using microwave digestion, and the analysis of Al, As, Cd, Cu, B, Ba, Fe, Mg, Sr, Zn, Li, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni and Pb was performed with inductively-coupled plasma-optic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Significant differences in concentrations of analyzed elements were observed among different tissues, as well as between the genders. Al, Sr, Ba, Mg, and Li had the highest concentrations in gills, while Cd, Cu, Zn, Fe and B were highest in the liver. While the muscle had the lowest concentrations of most of the analyzed elements, it had the highest concentration of As. This study has revealed that the concentrations of Cd and As in Pontic shad muscle tissue were above the maximum acceptable concentrations for human consumption, thus precautions need to be taken in order to prevent future heavy metal contamination.     

Metal distribution and binding in balneological peats and their aqueous extracts

Binding of metals in typical bath peat samples ("Grosses Gifhomer Moor", Sassenburg/North Germany) and their aqueous extracts was characterized by means of a multi-method approach. For that purpose a sequential extraction procedure based on peat-filled chromatography columns was developed. Water-soluble metal and DOM (dissolved organic matter) fractions were subdivided by use of a stepwise increased pH gradient (pH 3.8-5), finally by the chelator EDTA and 0.1 mol L(-1) hydrochloric acid. Metal fractions very strongly bound to peat were assessed by an aqua regia extraction. Metal determinations required were performed by atomic spectrometry methods (AAS, ICP-OES, and TXRF). The metal and DOM concentrations in the peat extracts varied significantly, depending on the natural variety of the peat matter under study (e.g., Al: 25-674, Cd: 0.05-0.2, Cu: 5-15.4, Fe: 77-1785, Mn: 21-505, Ni: 2-33, Pb: < 1, Zn: 9-715 (microg L(-1)); Na: 8-45, K: 1.3-14.9, Ca: 2-51, Mg: 1.1-7.9 (mg L(-1)); 26-73 mg L(-1) DOC). An increase of the pH increased the DOC (dissolved organic carbon) of the peat extracts, but hardly the concentration of heavy metals. The latter could only be re-mobilized by EDTA and dilute hydrochloric acid. Additional investigations of the peat extracts using tangential-flow ultrafiltration revealed that the heavy metals extracted at pH < 4 were predominantly dissociated. At higher pH (pH > 4.5) they were preferentially bound to macromolecular DOM. Moreover, using multistage ultrafiltration the size distribution of the DOM and their metal species was assessed.     

Two-step polymerization approach for synthesis of macroporous surface ion-imprinted cryogels

Today, the surface imprinted polymers emerge in various fields as synthetic adsorbents gaining attention in a variety of application areas. In this study, Cu(II) ion surface imprinted poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate), poly(HEMA-GMA), cryogels were synthesized via modified two-step polymerization which is different from given in literature and the adsorption of Cu(II) ion from aqueous solution was investigated batch wise. In this respect, the method applied in this study is new in the literature despite heavy metal removal studies reported. The polyethyleneimine (PEI) molecule was used in polymeric structure as a ligand. The poly(HEMA-GMA) cryogels prepared was characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the micro-computed tomography (μCT).     

Comparison of heavy metal analyses in hydrofluoric acid used in microelectronic industry by ICP-MS and thermal ionization isotope dilution mass spectrometry

An isotope dilution mass spectrometric (IDMS) method with the thermal ionization (TI) technique has been developed for the determination of trace impurities of Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Cd, Tl, Pb, Th, and U in high-purity HF (50% by weight) used in the semiconductor industry. The evaporation step of the HF solution was carried out in an apparatus which did not significantly contribute to contaminations of the heavy metals to be analysed. This apparatus allowed fast evaporation of the HF solution of up to 200 ml/h and therefore also a fast trace heavy metal/matrix separation was carried out. The evaporation step was also used in connection with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) when applying the isotope dilution technique and an external calibration for quantification, respectively. The detection limits for TI-IDMS were (in pg/g): Cr=30, Fe=400, Ni=70, Cu=20, Zn=1100, Ag=70, Cd=10, Tl=1, Pb=16, Th=3, and U=1. With ICP-MS in combination with the evaporation step, detection limits of less than 50 pg/g have been achieved for Cr, Ni, and Zn and of <5 pg/g for the other elements except Fe, which could not be determined in concentrations less than 100 ng/g. On the other hand, the detection limits were much higher when the HF matrix was not removed before measuring by ICP-MS. A comparison of the different ICP-MS methods (isotope dilution technique and external calibration for both HF evaporated samples and those with HF matrix) with the results of TI-IDMS has been carried out. An excellent agreement was achieved between the results of TI-IDMS and the two ICP-MS methods using the HF evaporation step, whereas the ICP-MS techniques without HF evaporation essentially deviated from these results. Fe was the only trace element of all investigated heavy metals which could only be analysed by TI-IDMS in high purity HF in a concentration of about 3 ng/g. Although ICP-MS with isotope dilution and external calibration resulted in comparable analytical data, the ICP-IDMS method has some practical advantages such as time-saving and more reliable results.     

不同前处理方法测定银锡焊料中3种重金属元素

选用银含量为3%、30%和70%的银锡焊料样品,分别经过三种不同前处理方法,采用硝酸、盐酸消解,应用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-OES)同时测定锡铅合金中镉、铅、汞3种重金属元素含量。实验研究了不同前处理方法对银锡合金中重金属测定的影响。实验表明消解实验中的共沉淀现象会对3种重金属元素的测定产生不利的影响,回收率不能满足要求;采用硝酸消解,过滤残渣经王水消解的方法,镉、铅、汞的7次测定重复性相对标准偏差在2.7%~5.5%、加标回收率在85.6%~103%,能够满足RoHS测试要求。     

Using ICP-OES and SEM-EDX in biosorption studies

We have compared the analytical results obtained by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and by scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray analytical system (SEM-EDX) in order to explore the mechanism of metal ions biosorption by biomass using two independent methods. The marine macroalga Enteromorpha sp. was enriched with Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), and Co(II) ions via biosorption, and the biosorption capacity of alga determined from the solution and biomass composition before and after biosorption process was compared. The first technique was used to analyze the composition of the natural and metal-loaded biomass, and additionally the composition of the solution before and after biosorption. The second technique was used to obtain a picture of the surface of natural and metal ion-loaded macroalgae, to map the elements on the cell wall of dry biomass, and to determine their concentration before and after biosorption. ICP-OES showed a better precision and lower detection limit than EDX, but SEM-EDX gave more information regarding the sample composition of Enteromorpha sp. Both techniques confirmed that biosorption is a surface phenomenon, in which alkali and alkaline earth metal ions were exchanged by metal ions from aqueous solution.FigureThe advantages and disadvantages of ICP-OES and SEM-EDX techniques ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00604-010-0468-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Investigations on the conditional kinetic and thermodynamic stability of aquatic humic substance-metal complexes by means of EDTA exchange, ultrafiltration and atomic spectrometry

The conditional metal availability and the kinetic stability of humic substance-metal species in humic-rich waters (e.g. bog water) was characterized by means of EDTA exchange. For this purpose a combined procedure consisting of time-controlled ligand exchange by EDTA, species differentiation by a fast single-stage tangential-flow ultrafiltration (TF-UF) technique (cut-off 1 kDa) and sensitive atomic spectrometry methods (e.g. AAS, ICP-OES, TXRF) was developed. The kinetics and the yield of the EDTA exchange served as operational parameters for assessing the kinetic stability and EDTA availability of HS-metal species, respectively. Considerable fractions of natural HS-metal species studied were shown to be EDTA-inert (e.g. 31% of the total Fe, 44% of the total Al) even after long reaction times (48 h), in contrast to artificial ones formed in solutions of isolated HS. Moreover, the conditional thermodynamic stability of HS-metal complexes formed by successive loading of an aquatic reference HS (HO14) with a number of heavy metal ions (e.g. Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Zn(II)) was also evaluated discriminating the free metal concentrations by means of TF-UF. In addition, from the loading isotherms obtained conditional complexation capacities could be derived for the studied HS exhibiting the order Fe(III)>Cu(II)>Cr(III)>Co(II)>Mn(II).     

Bulk hydrolysis and solid–liquid sorption of heavy metals in multi-component aqueous suspensions containing porous inorganic solids: Are these mechanisms competitive or cooperative?

Fundamental aspects of the removal of heavy metals from aqueous streams under conditions of competition among the various species have been studied between pH 3 and 9 on Spherosil XO75LS, ordered mesoporous MCM-41 and MCF silicas, as well as a MCF sample grafted with (3-aminopropyl)methoxydimethylsilane (AMPS-MCF). Cd(II), Co(II), Pb(II), or Sr(II) nitrate solutions were used to determine the percentage of metal uptake by each solid at 298K as a function of the pH of the equilibrium solution, at an initial metal concentration of 0.0001molL(-1) and the ionic strength being fixed with 0.01molL(-1) NaNO(3). Almost complete retention of the heavy metals on the four solid samples was observed, with the process beginning at pH values smaller than those marking the onset of "bulk" precipitation of a given metal in "free" solution. The heavy metal-uptake mechanism was regarded as hydrolysis-like phenomenon in metal-containing solid suspensions. Weak adsorption of metal species from slightly acidic and neutral solutions was a kind of nucleation step. Adding cadmium to an equimolar solution containing cobalt, lead, or strontium showed no significant effect on the retention of the main metal component. This indicated the great independence of the retention mechanisms.     

Simple methods for characterization of metals in historical textile threads

Characterization of metal threads on historical textile materials is important for preservation of valuable cultural heritage. Obtained results dictate decisions on cleaning, conservation and restoration steps. The most important part of characterization is chemical analysis of originally applied materials, since this enables understanding the nature of chemical and physical degradation and determines the cleaning methods. Methods applied should be non-destructive and sensitive enough to detect trace elements in small sample amounts. The goal of this research was to describe the most useful procedures for fast and simple determination of specific metals of interest. Therefore we propose application of scanning electron microscopy equipped with EDS detector (SEM-EDS) for sample surface analysis and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for chemical analysis of metals threads. For quality insurance reasons, a comparative method applied for chemical analysis was atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). This combination of methods has proven to be very useful in analysis of historical samples, since SEM-EDS was a simple and non-destructive method which provided information on chemical composition of sample surfaces, while ICP-OES and AAS enabled the full insight into the average chemical composition of samples. Nevertheless, both ICP-OES and AAS were destructive methods which demanded dissolving of samples prior to the analysis. In this work nine different metal fibers collected from historical textile materials were characterized. Proposed methods enabled obtaining information on sample constitution, morphology, topology and chemical composition.