Speciation measurements of uranium in alkaline waters using diffusive gradients in thin films technique

This work investigated the application of diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) to uranium speciation measurements in natural water. Two binding phases were examined, a commercially available affinity membrane, Whatman DE 81 (DE 81), with amino binding functional groups and the conventionally used Chelex 100 beads imbedded polyacrylamide hydrogel (Chelex) with iminodiacetate functional groups. The DGT devices assembled with the binding phases of DE 81 (DE 81 DGT) and Chelex gel (Chelex DGT) were tested both in synthetic river water solutions and in local river water. DE 81 DGT and Chelex DGT measured 80% and 75% of the total uranium in synthetic river water solution, respectively, and measured 73% and 60% of the total uranium in St. Lawrence River, Canada, respectively. The binding properties of the DE 81 membrane and Chelex gel for uranium, and the diffusion of uranyl complexes in the polyacrylamide gel (PAM) were also studied.     

Diffusive gradients in thin films technique for uranium measurements in river water

The diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) was used for uranium measurements in water. DGT devices with Dowex resin binding phase (Dow DGT) were tested in synthetic river water, which gave 84% response to total uranium concentration. The devices were also deployed in natural river water and compared to devices with other types of binding phases, Chelex 100 resin beads imbedded in polyacrylamide hydrogel (Chelex DGT) and DE 81 anion exchange membrane (DE DGT), deployed in the same location at the same time. The measurement by Dow DGT was the lowest among the different types of the DGT devices, 45% of total uranium, while measurement by DE DGT was the highest, 98% of total uranium. The results achieved by the three types of DGT devices were explained by three DGT working mechanisms, equilibrium between complexes of resin/uranyl carbonates and complexes of resin/competitive ligands in water, effective reduction of uranyl carbonate concentration by the binding phase and dissociation of UO₂(CO₃)₂²⁻ and UO₂(CO₃)₃⁴⁻ within the diffusive layer in a DGT device. It is hoped that by deploying the DGT devices with different binding phases in natural waters, additional information on uranium speciation could be obtained.     

Determination of Dynamic Metal Complexes and their Diffusion Coefficients in the Presence of Different Humic Substances by Combining Two Analytical Techniques

The combined use of a competing ligand exchange (CLE) method and a diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) technique in a quasi-labile system provides a better understanding of dynamic metal (Cu and Ni) complexes in the presence of humic substances of different origins. The CLE and DGT techniques provide total labile (dynamic) metal complexes (Cu and Ni) and their dissociation rate constants in environmental systems. DGT was found to estimate lower concentrations of labile metal complexes than CLE. These discrepancies were caused by diffusion controlled metal flux (towards the binding resin gel) in the diffusive gel of DGT. The interactions of Cu and Ni with humic acids are stronger than their interactions with fulvic acid and natural organic matter. Changes in the lability of Ni and Cu complexes (complexed with humic substances of different origins) with the changing analytical detection window indicate that the complexes of these metals were formed with different binding sites with diverse binding energies in the humic substances. The combination of these two techniques was found to be very useful in determining diffusion coefficients of labile metal-humate complexes in quasi-labile systems. The values of diffusion coefficients of labile Ni and Cu complexes determined in this study are in good agreement with limited results from the literature. This finding is novel and can be very useful in further improving our understanding of the metal-humate interactions in natural environments.     

Effective concentration difference model to study the effect of various factors on the effective diffusion coefficient in the dialysis membrane

Cellulose acetate dialysis membrane (CDM) has been used in the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique, where accurate diffusion coefficients are essential for the assessment of the concentrations of labile metal in solution. Effective concentration difference model (ECDM), based on the assumption that the effective diffusion coefficient of metal ion in the dialysis membrane is determined by the effective concentration difference (ΔC(e)) across the dialysis membrane, is proposed and applied to study the effect of ionic strength, binding agent, ligands and Donnan potential on the effective diffusion coefficient. The effective diffusion coefficients of Cd(2+) through the dialysis membrane immersed in receptor solutions with binding agent were almost the same as those in receptor solutions without binding agent at higher ionic strengths (0.01-1 M) but much higher than those at lower ionic strengths (0.001-0.0001 M). The effective diffusion coefficients of Cd(2+) through the dialysis membrane immersed in deionized water receptor solutions with binding agent were not significantly different from those in synthetic receptor solutions (receptor solutions with various ionic strengths) with binding agent. The DGT-labile fractions were measured in synthetic solutions and natural waters, which indicated that the effective diffusion coefficients, through the dialysis membrane immersed in the deionized water solution with binding agent as receptor solution and in the spiked natural water as source solution, were more suitable for DGT application.     

Trace metal speciation measurements in waters by the liquid binding phase DGT device

The speciation measurements of trace metals by the diffusive gradients in thin-films technique (DGT) using a poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) aqueous solution as a binding phase and a cellulose dialysis membrane (CDM) as a diffusive layer, CDM-PSS DGT, were investigated and showed good agreement with computer modelling calculations. The diffusion coefficients of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) complexes with Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ were measured and compared with those of the inorganic metal ions. CDM-PSS DGT device was tested for speciation measurement in sample solutions containing EDTA, tannic acid (TA), glucose (GL), dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBS) and humic acid (HA) as complexing ligands forming organic complexes with varying stability constants. Lower percentages of DGT labile copper concentrations over total filterable copper concentrations obtained from the deployments in freshwater sites indicated that copper complexes with organic matter were basically not measured by the devices.     

Mercury depth profiles in river and marine sediments measured by the diffusive gradients in thin films technique with two different specific resins

The diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) was used to measure depth profiles of mercury in river and marine sediments in situ to a spatial resolution of 0.5 cm. Agarose gel was used as the diffusive gel in the DGT probes. Two different selective resins—Chelex 100 with iminodiacetic groups and Spheron-Thiol with thiol groups incorporated in the polyacrylamide resin gel—were tested. The different capture efficiencies of the two adsorbents enabled the fractions of mercury bound in different species in sediment pore water to be estimated. Mercury concentrations obtained by DGT with Spheron-Thiol resin were very similar to those obtained after centrifugation. This indicates that DGT with Sheron-Thiol resin reports on total dissolved mercury levels. The concentration of mercury measured by DGT with Chelex-100 resin was much lower (by a factor of 5–20) for the same sediment samples. Chelex-100 does not have such a high affinity to mercury as Spheron-Thiol, and so it only reports on the content of labile mercury species, such as inorganic ions and weak complexes. The content of labile mercury species in the river sediment was approximately 20% of the total dissolved mercury in pore water, whereas in marine sediment only 7% of the mercury was present as labile species.     

Determination of labile inorganic and organic species of Al and Cu in river waters using the diffusive gradients in thin films technique

The diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique, using a diffusive gel or a restrictive gel, was evaluated for the determination of labile inorganic and organic species of Al and Cu in model synthetic solutions and river water samples. Experiments were performed both in situ and in the laboratory. In the solutions containing Al ions, the major labile fraction consisted of inorganic species. The organic complex fractions were mainly kinetically inert. For the model Cu solutions, the most labile fraction consisted of inorganic species; however, significant amounts of labile organic complexes of Cu were also present. A comparison was made between the results obtained using restrictive gel DGT and tangential flow ultrafiltration (TF-UF). The Cu fraction determined by restrictive gel DGT (corresponding to the "free" ions plus the labile fraction of small molecular size complexes) was larger than that determined by TF-UF (corresponding to all small molecular size ions), suggesting that the techniques exhibited different porosities for discrimination of inorganic species. For the river water samples analyzed in the laboratory, less than 45% of the analytes were present in labile forms, with most being organic species. For the in situ measurements, the labile inorganic and organic fractions were larger than those obtained in the laboratory analyses. These differences could have been due to errors incurred during sample collection and storage. All results were consistent with those found using two different methods, namely, solid-phase extraction and the DGT technique employing the apparent diffusion coefficient.     

Use of the diffusion gradient thin film method to measure trace metals in fresh waters at low ionic strength

The diffusion gradients in thin films (DGT) method was investigated and used to measure trace metal concentrations in river water. The principle of DGT is that trace metal ions diffuse through a thin polyacrylamide gel film (the diffusion gel layer) and are subsequently immobilised and concentrated on a layer of Chelex-100 resin embedded in another polyacrylamide gel film (the resin gel layer). These layers are mounted in a plastic holder, which exposes a fixed area of the diffusion gel layer to the water being monitored. Replacement of the normal agarose cross-linked diffusion gel with bisacrylamide cross-linked gel altered the ion uptake properties of DGT. The bisacrylamide cross-linked gel weakly, and with little selectivity, bound metal ions prior to their irreversible binding to Chelex-100. Trace metal ion uptake by these DGT devices was thus dependent on ionic strength and temperature, although the ionic strength effect is relatively small for most natural waters and negligible in sea water. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the Water of Leith, an urban stream in Dunedin, New Zealand, were measured by DGT and the results compared with total dissolved concentrations of these metals measured in conventional (bottle) samples collected in parallel with the DGT monitoring. Greater than 90% of the total dissolved Cd and Zn; 20-40% of the total dissolved Co, Ni, and Pb; and 5% of the total dissolved Cu was available to the DGT method.     

New resin gel for uranium determination by diffusive gradient in thin films technique

A new resin gel based on Spheron-Oxin(?) chelating ion-exchanger with anchored 8-hydroxyquinoline functional groups was tested for application in diffusive gradient in thin film technique (DGT) for determination of uranium. Selectivity of uranium uptake from model carbonate loaded solutions of natural water was studied under laboratory conditions and compared with selectivity of the conventional Chelex 100 based resin gel. The affinity of Spheron-Oxin(?) functional groups enables determination of the overall uranium concentration in water containing carbonates up to the concentration level of 10(2) mg L(-1). The effect of uranium binding to the polyacrylamide (APA) and agarose diffusive gels (AGE) was also studied. Uranium is probably bound in both gels by a weak interaction with traces of acrylic acid groups in the structure of APA gel and with pyruvic and sulfonic acid groups in the AGE gel. These sorption effects can be eliminated to the negligible level by prolonged deployment of DGT probes or by disassembling probes after the 1-2 days post-sampling period that is sufficient for release of uranium from diffusive gel and its sorption in resin gel.     

Measuring bioavailable trace metals from freshwater sediments by diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) in monitoring procedures for quality assessment

An experimental design using passive samplers was set up in our laboratories with the aim of preparing a procedure for the assessment of trace metals bioavailability in freshwater sediments. Trace metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn) bioavailability in sediment samples were measured by diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) devices and compared to those simultaneously extracted (SEM) in 1N HCl with acid-volatile sulfide (AVS). During experiments DGT devices were exposed at various times (from 4 to 336 h) in sediments with different physical and chemical properties and metal content, after equilibration with ambient water (1:2) for 24 h. Trace metal were progressively accumulated in DGT units and after at least 24-48 h metal fluxes became constant. No relation was found between metal available fractions measured by DGTs and total concentrations in sediments or pore waters. On the contrary good relations were found between available metals measured by DGT and metals simultaneously extracted (SEM) in HCl 1N with acid volatile sulfide (AVS).     

环境监测中两种原位被动采样技术——薄膜扩散平衡技术和薄膜扩散梯度技术

介绍了近年来环境监测中两种新的原位被动采样技术.薄膜扩散平衡(DET)技术和薄膜扩散梯度(DGT)技术.综述了DET技术的原理、装置的组成和构造、特点及在环境监测中的应用.关于DGT技术着重论述了对被监测物质有效态的累积原理,总结了扩散相和结合相的发展,并展望了未来的发展方向.     

Speciation of copper and zinc in natural freshwater: comparison of voltammetric measurements, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and chemical equilibrium models

In situ measurements of copper and zinc using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) in two distinct natural water systems were compared to metal speciation assessed by competitive ligand exchange (CLE) and voltammetric measurements. In a dynamic river system, where dissolved metal concentrations vary significantly over short-time periods, DGT technique provided averaged values of the metal concentrations over time. In microcosms, at different total dissolved concentrations of copper and zinc, DGT technique measured a similar fraction as measurements of labile metal performed by voltammetry. The proportion of DGT and voltammetric-labile zinc to dissolved zinc was 61±4% and, respectively, 76±9%. DGT technique was measuring 81±8% of exchangeable copper (by exchange with catechol). These two fractions were similarly influenced by the addition of NTA. In the absence of NTA, copper measured by DGT represented 34±4% of dissolved copper whereas in the presence of NTA, this proportion raised to 57±2%. These measurements were compared to calculations performed with speciation programs using several models for the complexation by humic and fulvic substances, namely Model VI (WHAM), NICA-Donnan and SHM. The predicted speciation by these three models was similar. The prediction of free zinc ion and labile zinc concentrations were in agreement with experimental data. Calculated concentrations of free copper ion were overestimated because these models are not considering strong specific copper-binding ligands probably present in natural water.     

Performance characteristics of suspended particulate reagent-iminodiacetate as a binding agent for diffusive gradients in thin films

The performance characteristics of an alternative binding agent, suspended particulate reagent-iminodiacetate (SPR-IDA), for use with DGT methodology were investigated. The parameters investigated during this study included gel hydration, blank levels, elution factor (f_e), capacity, the effects of pH on the binding of trace metals by DGT. The novel application of this resin for use as a quantitative standard for laser ablation ICP-MS was also evaluated. To further constrain the results for the SPR-IDA binding agent, parallel experiments were performed using resin gel containing Chelex 100, which has been widely reported in the literature. Hydration results showed that the SPR-IDA resin gel reached a stable dimension and weight within ∼30 min and was dimensionally stable for ≤6 months. The measured DGT blanks for the SPR-IDA resin were 0.0023, 0.15, 0.21, 0.0033 and 0.011 ng disc⁻¹ for Co, Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb, respectively. The elution factor differed for the two resin types with the Chelex 100 recoveries slightly lower than previous reports and the SPR-IDA resin showing on average ∼5-9% better recoveries than DGT containing Chelex 100. The measured capacity of DGT discs containing the SPR-IDA binding agent was 0.26 mg Cd, similar to the calculated value of 0.29 mg Cd, indicating the entire resin layer was available for metal uptake.Both resin types performed equally well when deployed in 1 mM NaNO₃ solutions with DGT measurements of ∼100% of direct solution measurements for Co, Ni and Cd. However, DGT measurements of Cu and Pb systematically decreased with increasing solution pH down to ∼50% of solution values at pH 8.0, due to artifacts resulting from colloid formation during the addition of the metals. This was remedied by adding the metals as dilute salt standards and addition of Mg(NO₃)₂ to eliminate adsorption to the container walls. In the latter experiments, DGT measured concentrations of Co, Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb were in agreement with solution concentrations. Deployment of DGT in solutions with increasing concentrations of trace metals yielded linear results, suggesting that quantitative analysis using simplified laser ablation techniques should be possible using this newly characterized SPR-IDA resin gel.     

Lability criteria in diffusive gradients in thin films

The penetration of metal complexes into the resin layer of DGT (diffusive gradients in thin films) devices greatly influences the measured metal accumulation, unless the complexes are either totally inert or perfectly labile. Lability criteria to predict the contribution of complexes in DGT measurements are reported. The key role of the resin thickness is highlighted. For complexes that are partially labile to the DGT measurement, their dissociation inside the resin domain is the main source of metal accumulation. This phenomenon explains the practical independence of the lability degree of a complex in a DGT device with respect to the ligand concentration. Transient DGT regimes, reflecting the times required to replenish the gel and resin domains up to the steady-state profile of the complex, are also examined. Low lability complexes (lability degree between 0.1 and 0.2) exhibit the longest transient regimes and therefore require longer deployment times to ensure accurate DGT measurements.     

Development and application of the diffusive gradients in thin films technique for the measurement of total dissolved inorganic arsenic in waters

The diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique, utilizing an iron-hydroxide adsorbent, has been investigated for the in situ accumulation of total dissolved inorganic As in natural waters. Diffusion coefficients of the inorganic As(V) and As(III) species in the polyacrylamide gel were measured using a diffusion cell and DGT devices and a variety of factors that may affect the adsorption of the As species to the iron-hydroxide adsorbent, or the diffusion of the individual As species, were investigated. Under conditions commonly encountered in environmental samples, solution pH and the presence of anions, cations, fulvic acid, Fe(III)-fulvic acid complexes and colloidal iron-hydroxide were demonstrated not to affect uptake of dissolved As. To evaluate DGT as a method for accumulation and pre-concentration of total dissolved inorganic As in natural waters, DGT was applied to two well waters and a river water that was spiked with As. For each sample, the concentration obtained with use of DGT followed by measurement by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry with a Pd modifier (HG-AAS) was compared with the concentration of As measured directly by HG-AAS. The results confirmed that DGT is a reliable method for pre-concentration of total dissolved As.     

Effect of competitive cation binding on the measurement of Mn in marine waters and sediments by diffusive gradients in thin films

The possible adverse effect of competitive binding on DGT (diffusive gradients in thin films) measurements of metals in marine situations was investigated. Of the divalent transition metals, manganese binds most weakly to Chelex resin and is most likely to be affected by competition. In media resembling seawater, the Chelex within DGT devices becomes saturated with Ca and Mg within 2 h, and at pH 5–6 the sensitivity of the DGT measurement for Mn is substantially reduced, due to the appreciable concentration of Mn in contact with the resin. For media resembling freshwater DGT gives a near theoretical response for Mn. Iron was shown to be capable of displacing Mn and to a more limited extent Cd from the resin when its capacity for Fe is approached. Vertical profiles of Mn in a mesocosm sediment, obtained by deploying DGT for different times, could be explained by this displacement effect. The problem only occurs when Fe concentrations are exceptionally high and can be avoided by using short deployment times, typically less than 12 h. Whilst most trace metals can be simply measured by deploying DGT in marine systems, for Mn consideration should be given to possible effects associated with the capacity of the Chelex binding layer being approached by accumulation of the other cations present.     

薄膜梯度扩散技术结合相研究进展

薄膜梯度扩散(DGT)技术是一种新型原位被动采样技术,已被广泛应用于水体、土壤、沉积物中目标物的采集与测量。结合相是DGT技术的重要组成部分,决定了与目标物的结合能力、结合速度、结合容量以及目标物的形态选择性等。DGT结合相分为固态结合相和液态结合相。本文重点综述了树脂、氧化物、无机盐、活性炭、改性硅胶、分子印迹、共聚物、复合、液态等结合相在DGT技术中的应用,展望了DGT结合相的发展前景。     

Application of a cellulose phosphate ion exchange membrane as a binding phase in the diffusive gradients in thin films technique for measurement of trace metals

The technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) is a newly developed analytical technique capable of measuring in situ concentrations of trace metals in the environment. The technique employs a thin film diffusive hydrogel (with well-defined diffusion properties) in contact with a binding phase capable of binding metal ions of interest. In this work, we demonstrate, for the first time, the use of a commercially available solid ion exchange membrane (Whatman P81) as the binding phase in DGT analysis. The cellulose phosphate-based Whatman P81 membrane is a strong cation exchange membrane. Its performance characteristics as a new binding phase in DGT measurement of Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were systematically investigated. Several advantages over the conventional ion exchange resin-embedded hydrogel binding phases used in DGT were observed including simple preparation, ease of handling, and reusability. The binding capacities of the material to various metal ions were examined both collectively and individually. The binding phase preferentially binds to transition metal ions rather than matrix ions such as potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium, which are competitive species in natural waters. Within the optimum pH range (pH 4.0-9.0), the maximum non-competitive binding capacities of the membrane for Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were 3.22 and 3.07 μmol cm⁻², respectively. The suitability of the new membrane-based binding phase for DGT applications was validated experimentally. The experimental results demonstrated excellent agreement with theoretically predicted trends. The measurement was not degraded after four consecutive reuses of the cellulose phosphate binding phase.     

Determination of Ni~(2+) in Waters with Sodium Polyacrylate as a Binding Phase in Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films

An aqueous solution containing sodium polyacrylate(PAAS) was used in diffusive gradient in thin-films technique(DGT) to measure DGT-labile Ni2+ concentrations.The DGT devices(PAAS DGT) were validated in four types of solutions,including synthetic river water containing metal ions with complexing EDTA or that without complexing EDTA,natural river water(Ling River,Jinzhou,China) spiked with Ni2+,and an industrial wastewater (Jinzhou,China).Results show that only free metal ions were measured by PAAS DGT,recov...     

Comparing dissolved reactive phosphorus measured by DGT with ferrihydrite and titanium dioxide adsorbents: anionic interferences, adsorbent capacity and deployment time

Two adsorbents (Metsorb and ferrihydrite) used in binding layers with the diffusive gradients in a thin film technique were evaluated for the measurement of dissolved reactive phosphorous (DRP) in synthetic and natural waters. Possible interferences were investigated with Cl(-) (up to 1.35 mol L(-1)) and SO(4)(2-) (up to 0.056 mol L(-1)) having no affect on either DGT binding layer, and HCO(3)(-) (up to 5.7 mmol L(-1)) having no effect on Metsorb-DGT, over 4 days. However, HCO(3)(-) interfered with the ferrihydrite-DGT measurement at concentrations typical of many natural waters (≥0.7 mmol L(-1)) after a deployment period of 1-2 days. The capacity of the Metsorb binding phase for DGT response was ～37,000 ng P, whereas the capacities of a low-mass (17.8 mg of adsorbent per DGT sampler) and high-mass (29.2mg of adsorbent per DGT sampler) ferrihydrite binding phase were substantially lower (～15,000 ng P and ～25,000 ng P, low-mass and high-mass, respectively). Increasing the capacity of the ferrihydrite adsorbent allowed the ferrihydrite-DGT to be utilized for up to 3 days before interference by HCO(3)(-) was observed. Seawater deployments demonstrated that even high-capacity ferrihydrite-DGT devices underestimated the DRP concentration by 37%, whereas Metsorb-DGT measurements were accurate. The Metsorb-DGT is superior to the ferrihydrite-DGT for determining DRP over deployment times greater than 1 day and in waters with ≥0.7 mmol L(-1) HCO(3)(-). Based on the experience obtained from this detailed validation process, the authors propose a number of key requirements that need to be considered when developing new DGT binding layers, with testing the performance over longer deployment times being critical.