Modelling the matrix interference of iron in the multivariate determination of copper by stripping voltammetry Instrument standardization

Two different standardization procedures have been applied in order to minimize the experimental effort necessary to determine copper in presence of iron by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The significant matrix interference caused by iron in the voltammetric determination of copper has been successfully solved by using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The use of this multivariate regression implies a large number of training set samples, so a standardization method was required. In fact, the standardization methods used have reduced the calibration samples needed in future determinations by up to 75%. Moreover, PLS regression allowed both metals to be determined simultaneously by using an adequate experimental design, without any limitation to their respective concentrations and without the need to know the level of interference.     

On-line collection/concentration and determination of transition and rare-earth metals in water samples using Multi-Auto-Pret system coupled with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

On-line preconcentration and determination of transition and rare-earth metals in water samples was performed using a Multi-Auto-Pret system coupled with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The Multi-Auto-Pret AES system proposed here consists of three Auto-Pret systems with mini-columns that can be used for the preconcentration of trace metals sequentially or simultaneously, and can reduce analysis time to one-third and running cost of argon gas and labor. A newly synthesized chelating resin, ethylenediamine-N,N,N′-triacetate-type chitosan (EDTriA-type chitosan), was employed in the Multi-Auto-Pret system for the collection of trace metals prior to their measurement by ICP-AES. The proposed resin showed very good adsorption ability for transition and rare-earth metal ions without any interference from alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions in an acidic media. For the best result, pH 5 was adopted for the collection of metal ions. Only 5 mL of samples could be used for the determination of transition metals, while 20 mL of samples was necessary for the determination of rare-earth metals. Metal ions adsorbed on the resin were eluted using 1.5 M nitric acid, and were measured by ICP-AES. The proposed method was evaluated by the analysis of SLRS-4 river water reference materials for trace metals. Good agreement with certified and reference values was obtained for most of the metals examined; it indicates that the proposed method using the newly synthesized resin could be favorably used for the determination of transition and rare-earth metals in water samples by ICP-AES.     

Quantitative Detection of Chromium Pollution in Biochar Based on Matrix Effect Classification Regression Model

Returning biochar to farmland has become one of the nationally promoted technologies for soil remediation and improvement in China. Rapid detection of heavy metals in biochar derived from varied materials can provide a guarantee for contaminated soil, avoiding secondary pollution. This work aims first to apply laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for the quantitative detection of Cr in biochar. Learning from the principles of traditional matrix effect correction methods, calibration samples were divided into 1–3 classifications by an unsupervised hierarchical clustering method based on the main elemental LIBS data in biochar. The prediction samples were then divided into diverse classifications of calibration samples by a supervised K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. By comparing the effects of multiple partial least squares regression (PLSR) models, the results show that larger numbered classifications have a lower averaged relative standard deviations of cross-validation (ARSDCV) value, signifying a better calibration performance. Therefore, the 3 classification regression model was employed in this study, which had a better prediction performance with a lower averaged relative standard deviations of prediction (ARSDP) value of 8.13%, in comparison with our previous research and related literature results. The LIBS technology combined with matrix effect classification regression model can weaken the influence of the complex matrix effect of biochar and achieve accurate quantification of contaminated metal Cr in biochar.     

基于激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)的煤灰熔点快速检测

炉内结渣是影响火电机组和气化工艺可靠运行的关键因素之一,准确预测灰熔点可以提前调整炉膛出口温度以避免结渣。本论文采用激光诱导击穿光谱（LIBS）采集煤灰样中金属元素的光谱,分别建立煤灰中的金属元素的谱线强度与煤灰熔点的随机森林模型、支持向量机回归模型和线性回归模型,直接预测煤灰熔点温度。采用基于马氏距离(MD)的异常数据剔除算法和基于稀疏矩阵的基线估计与降噪算法（BEADS）,对粉煤灰样的全光谱数据进行了预处理。随机森林模型对粉煤灰熔点的预测平均相对误差（MRE）为54.74%,支持向量机回归模型的预测平均相对误差为60.08%,而线性回归模型的预测平均相对误差达到了9.78%。研究结果表明,线性回归模型对煤灰熔点的预测结果更准确。     

Evaluation of heavy metal uptake in micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass) of Lake Austin,TX by neutron activation analysis

Neutron activation analysis was used to investigate and quantify the level of heavy metal uptake in the marine environment of Lake Austin in Austin, TX. Specifically, the samples studied were largemouth bass, or micropterus salmoides. The presence of heavy metals in the food chain presents multiple hazards, mostly as a food hazard for those species that ingest the fish, namely humans. To measure the concentrations of heavy metals in various fish samples, the nuclear analytical technique of neutron activation analysis (NAA) was used. Both epithermal and thermal irradiations were conducted for the NAA to look for short and long-lived radioisotopes, respectively. The samples themselves consisted of liver and tissue samples for each of the fish caught. Each sample was freeze-dried and homogenized before irradiation and spectrum acquisition. The results showed that all levels of heavy metals were not sufficient enough to make the fish unsafe for eating, with the highest levels being found for iron and zinc. Gold was found to be at much higher concentrations in the younger fish and virtually non-existent in the larger of the samples.     

Determination of heavy metals by isotachophoresis

The suitability of isotachophoresis for the analysis of metals in, e.g., environmental samples was studied. In a cationic operational system the heavy metals Fe, Cu, Ni, Cd, Co, Zn, Pb and Mn were simultaneously determined. The separation was achieved through complex formation with one of the counter ions, hydroxyisobutyric acid. The other counter ion was acetic acid, the leading ion was 0.02 M potassium or sodium (pH 4.1) and the terminator was H+. The analysis time was 15 min at 60 microA in a 0.2 mm I.D. capillary. Aqueous samples containing ppm and ppb amounts were enriched on a cation exchanger with an extremely low affinity for sodium (Chelex 100). Good recovery, linearity, precision and accuracy were obtained even down to the ppb range. Although the sensitivity of the method is not greater than that of some of the more established methods for the individual metals, a great advantage of isotachophoresis is the simultaneous determination of the metals, with equal response factors. An example is given of the determination of metals, including aluminium, in serum.     

Metal fractionation in olive oil and urban sewage sludges using the three-stage BCR sequential extraction method and microwave single extractions

The conventional three-stage BCR sequential extraction method was employed for the fractionation of heavy metals in sewage sludge samples from an urban wastewater treatment plant and from an olive oil factory. The results obtained for Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn in these samples were compared with those attained by a simplified extraction procedure based on microwave single extractions and using the same reagents as employed in each individual BCR fraction. The microwave operating conditions in the single extractions (heating time and power) were optimized for all the metals studied in order to achieve an extraction efficiency similar to that of the conventional BCR procedure. The measurement of metals in the extracts was carried out by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The results obtained in the first and third fractions by the proposed procedure were, for all metals, in good agreement with those obtained using the BCR sequential method. Although in the reducible fraction the extraction efficiency of the accelerated procedure was inferior to that of the conventional method, the overall metals leached by both microwave single and sequential extractions were basically the same (recoveries between 90.09 and 103.7%), except for Zn in urban sewage sludges where an extraction efficiency of 87% was achieved. Chemometric analysis showed a good correlation between the results given by the two extraction methodologies compared. The application of the proposed approach to a certified reference material (CRM-601) also provided satisfactory results in the first and third fractions, as it was observed for the sludge samples analysed.     

DTG-DTA study of sewage sludge used in the sorption of Cd2+ and Co2+

The present study was carried out for evaluating the retention behavior of sanitary sewage in relation to cadmium and cobalt ions in an ascendant continuous-flow reactor. It was found that the studied sludge presented a high assimilation of the metals, probably due to the presence of anionic groups, which favors adsorption and complexation processes. Thermal analyses of the samples showed a shift in the thermal decomposition of the ‘in natura’ sludge, when compared with those of the samples spiked with the metals, confirming the possibility of interactions between the heavy metals and the anionic groups present in the sludge.     

Some Aspects on Preconcentration for Neutron Activation Analysis

A preconcentration method incorporated with neutron activation analysis was developed for the accurate determination of trace metals in biological and environmental samples. Bismuth diethyldithiocarbamate, thallium diethyldithiocarbarnate, and ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate were used as the preconcentration agents for three groups of metals. Trace metals were enriched and interfering elements such as Na, Br, P. K. etc. were removed simultaneously during the preconcentration process so that the sensitivity for each metal was greatly improved. Optimal conditions for sample digestion, group preconcentration of trace metals and neutron activation analysis of biological and environmental samples were discussed.     

Electronic integrated multisensor tongue applied to grape juice and wine analysis

An integrated multisensor composed by six ISFET devices selective to common ions and heavy metals combined with a flow injection analysis (FIA) system has been applied as an electronic tongue to grape juice and wine sample analysis. The data obtained for several grape and wine variety samples analysis have been treated using multiparametric tools like principal component analysis (PCA) and soft independent modelling class analogy technique (SIMCA) for the patterning recognition and classification of samples and partial least squares (PLS) regression for quantification of several parameters of interest in wine production. The results obtained have demonstrated the potential of using those multisensors as electronic tongues not only for distinguishing the samples according to the grape variety and the vintage year but also for quantitative prediction of several sample parameters.     

A new luminol chemiluminescence reaction using a tetravalent nickel-periodate complex as the oxidant

A modified sequential extraction procedure was developed and applied to characterize the species of metals in fly ash. Two fly ash samples were collected from a coal-fired thermal power plant located in the north of China. A sample was collected from the conventional pulverized coal (PC) combustor and another from the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustor. After extraction by the proposed sequential extraction procedure, the elements in the fly ash samples were divided into a water-extractable fraction (F1), an acid-soluble fraction (F2), a reducible fraction (F3), an oxidizable fraction (F4) and a residual fraction (F5). Except for Cu, V, Cd in the PC sample and V, Zn in the CFB sample, most of the other metals were present in the residual fraction (F5), which was very difficult to release into the environment. The fraction distribution patterns in the two samples were also compared. The results indicated that the distribution of metals in different fractions in fly ash samples were probably impacted by different combustion processes.     

金属分析用新型油样快速预处理方法的研究(蒸发-氧化法)

提出了一种新型快速油样预处理方法。方法基于蒸发-氧化原理,可在1．5～4h内将油样中的金属元素转化为氧化物粉末,与等离子体发射光谱（ICP-AES）、原子吸收光谱（AAS）等检测方法相结合,可实现油品中金属含量的快速测定。     

Multielement monitoring for dissolved and acid-soluble concentrations of trace metals in surface seawater along the ferry track between Osaka and Okinawa as investigated by ICP-MS.

Multielement monitoring of the concentrations of trace metals dissolved in surface seawater collected at sampling stations along the ferry track between Osaka and Okinawa was performed by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). The surface seawater samples were collected by an automated sampling system for on-board sampling, which was installed on the bottom of a ferryboat. A part of each seawater sample was filtered with a membrane filter (pore size of 0.45 microm) immediately after sampling. Both filtered and non-filtered seawater samples were acidified to pH ca. 1 by adding conc. HNO3, and were subjected to chelating resin preconcentration for the determination of trace metals by ICP-MS, where the concentrations of analyte metals in the filtered and non-filtered seawater samples were referred to as the dissolved and total concentrations, respectively. According to the thus-obtained results, it was found that most trace metals, especially below the 0.01 microg l(-1) as the dissolved and total concentrations, sensitively reflected the environmental pollution in the Osaka Bay and Seto Inland Sea area, as well as near to the Bungo Canal and the outlet of Kagoshima Bay.     

Evaluation of heavy metal bioavailability in soil amended with poultry manure using single and BCR sequential extractions

In the present study, three-step Community Bureau of Reference sequential extraction scheme (BCR-SES) and single extraction methods were performed to assess the mobility and availability of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Fe and Zn) in an agricultural soil before and after amendment with poultry waste (PW).The PW samples were collected from poultry farms, situated in Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan. The extractable heavy metals were measured by flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The validation of the method was carried out by analysis of a certified reference material of soil amended with sewage sludge (BCR-483). The single extractions using calcium chloride and EDTA, separately, while BCR-SESs were developed to evaluate the available heavy metals to plants and their environmental accessibility for control soil (CS), PW and soil amended with PW (SPW).The pH of the PW and SPW were found to be < 6.0, which may enhance the leaching of heavy metals to agricultural soil. The results from the partitioning study indicated that easily mobilised forms (acid exchangeable) of Cd were higher than other heavy metals. The oxidisable fractions of all heavy metals were dominant in PW and SPW as compared to found in CS samples. The EDTA- and CaCl₂-extractable heavy metals correspond to 5.0 to 10 and 0.5 to 3.0%, respectively of total contents in all three solid samples. Contamination factors revealed that the retention of Pb and Zn were higher compared with Cu, Cd and Fe in CS, PW and SPW samples.     

Toxic and essential metals determination in commercial seafood: Paracentrotus lividus by ICP-MS

Toxic and essential metals content was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in commercial sea urchins samples from the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Results show that Chilean samples have the highest values of Cd, As, Ni, Cr and V; Spanish samples have the maximum Hg content while Sicilian samples have the lowest content of toxic metals. The toxic metal traces were compared with the limits of European Community (EC) No. 1881/2006 for bivalve molluscs. All samples exceed Pb and Cd limit levels; regarding Hg levels, only Sicilian and Sardinian samples have Hg content below the EC limits. The dietary intake of toxic and essential elements was evaluated for an adult. Furthermore, our study highlights a correlation between the toxic elements content and the marine environmental conditions of the places of origin even though only the generic FAO fishing area is specified.     

Voltammetric methods for the determination of heavy metals in domestic waste and compost produced from it

Methods of sampling an preparation of waste and compost samples for analysis are described. A voltammetric method has been used for the determination of the contents of toxic heavy metals (one of the most important criterion for compost quality evaluation) in domestic waste and in compost produced from it. A novel method was proposed for the UV mineralisation of water extracts obtained during leaching of waste and compost samples. Copper, lead, zinc and cadmium were determined in wet-digested samples of domestic waste, compost and its extracts by anodic stripping voltammetry. Nickel and cobalt were determined by adsorption voltammetry. The determination of five metals in one sample over a wide range of concentrations and the low cost of the apparatus used are the main advantages of the analytical method described. This has been shown by the determination of the metals in fractions of domestic waste, in compost produced of that waste and in compost mixed with sewage sludge. Special attention has been paid to investigations of the mobilisation of metals from waste and compost during the leaching test.     

On-line preconcentration method for the determination of trace metals in water samples using a fully automated pretreatment system coupled with ICP-AES.

An automated on-line sample-preparation method using a computer-controlled pretreatment system (Auto-Pret AES system) coupled with ICP-AES was developed. In this work, an iminodiacetate chelating resin, packed in a mini-column and installed in the system was employed for the collection/concentration of 13 trace metals, including such toxic metals as Be, Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb. The limits of detection of the proposed method for trace metals were in the range of 0.001 (Be) -0.18 (Pb) ng mL-1. The enrichment factors for metal ions were about 19 times, when 5 mL of samples were used. The sample throughput was 11 h-1. The accuracy and the precision of the method were evaluated using river-water reference materials, SLRS-4 from NRCC, JSAC 0301-1 and JSAC 0302 from the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry. The proposed method can be favorably applied to the collection/concentration of trace metals in natural water samples.     

Characterization of North Sea drilling cuttings by metal binding form patterns and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFT)

Samples of marine sediments collected in the vicinity of and remote from an oil production platform have been analysed for several metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb) and for total hydrocarbons. The same samples have been examined by diffuse reflectance IR spectroscopy (DRIFT) after drying, and an attempt has been made to classify the samples according to the patterns of the metals and the reflectance spectra, and to correlate this classification with that based on the sampling site. It is suggested that DRIFT is a faster technique than the conventional solvent-extraction IR method for total hydrocarbons and — while less sensitive — is adequate for screening such samples for significant levels of hydrocarbon pollution. Classification of the samples according to the metals present also distinguishes between the two groups of samples.     

Application of an optimization procedure in adsorptive stripping voltammetry for the determination of trace contaminant metals in aqueous medium

A procedure for the determination of the contaminant metal In(III) by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPAdSV) using ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) as a complexing agent, has been optimized. The selection of the experimental conditions was made using experimental design methodology by means of a robust regression method which allows the elimination of anomalous points. The detection limit obtained was 1.3×10⁻⁹ mol dm⁻³. Possible interferences from concomitant metal ions were evaluated. Among all the metals analyzed, only Cd(II) was found to create an interference. This fact made impossible to carry out the determination of In(III) in the presence of Cd(II) using a univariate calibration. This problem was solved using multivariate regression techniques such as partial least squares (PLS). The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of indium in different aqueous samples.     

Selective detection of volatile nickel,vanadium, and iron porphyrins in crude oils by gas chromatography-atomic emission spectroscopy

This report describes the selective detection of volatile nickel, vanadium, and iron metalloporphyrins in crude oil samples. An atomic emission detector (AED) was used for simultaneous detection of these metals using the Ni 301.2 nm, V 292.4 nm, and Fe 302.1 nm emission lines. Detection limits for these metals range from 0.05 to 5 pg/sec. The presence of volatile forms of these metals in several crude oil samples has been confirmed.