Speciation of some trace elements in water samples after preconcentration on activated carbon by neutron activation analysis

A new filtering column has been developed on the covalent attachment of chelating functionalities to simple, highly hydrophilic adsorbent material, which can then complex heavy metal ions irreversibly and targeted towards toxic metals removal. The capacity of the chemically modified sorbent (modified charcoal) materials used in this work was evaluated for the above mentioned heavy metal ions in the presence of iron ions and simulated water samples. The methods are based on preconcentrations of the elements of interest on activated carbon and zirconium loaded activated carbon using specific conditions of pH and oxidation states followed by a final determination by neutron activation analysis (NAA). It has been investigated that zirconium loaded activated carbon is able to adsorb As (V), Se (VI), Cr (VI) and Hg (II) at any pH while activated carbon is able to adsorb As (III), Se (IV), Cr (III) and Hg(I) at higher pH. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Determination of trace metal ions by AAS in natural water samples after preconcentration of pyrocatechol violet complexes on an activated carbon column

A simple preconcentration method is described for the determination of Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr in water samples by flame AAS. Trace metal ions in water were sorbed as pyrocatechol violet complexes on activated carbon column at the pH range of 4–8, then eluted with 1 M HNO₃ in acetone. The effect of major cations and anions of the natural water samples on the sorption of metal ions has been also investigated. The concentration of the metal ions detected after preconcentration was in agreement with the added amount. The present method was found to be applicable to the preconcentration of Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr in natural water samples with good results such as R.S.D. from 3 to 8% (N=10) and detection limits under 70 ng l⁻¹.     

Effect of oxidation of activated carbon on its enrichment efficiency of metal ions: comparison with oxidized and non-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The effect of oxidation of activated carbon (AC) with various oxidizing agents (nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium persulfate) on preconcentration of metal ions (Cr3+, Mn2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+) from environmental waters prior to their flame atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis was investigated. The highest recoveries and adsorption capacities towards metal ions were achieved when using nitric acid-oxidized AC (sorbent AC-NA) as preconcentrating sorbent at pH 9. A preconcentration procedure was optimized using AC-NA as sorbent, which was then compared with non-oxidized AC in terms of analytical performance of the preconcentration method. Higher sensitivity, lower detection limits and wider linear ranges were achieved when AC-NA was used. The analytical performance of the method using AC-NA as preconcentrating sorbent was also compared with nitric acid-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (sorbent MWCNT-NA) and non-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (sorbent MWCNT). The analytical performance of the preconcentration method using AC-NA was close to MWCNT-NA, but AC-NA was better than non-oxidized MWCNT. Application of the optimized preconcentration method (using AC-NA sorbent) to environmental waters (tap water, reservoir water, stream water) gave spike recoveries of the metals in the range 63-104%.     

Multielement determination of heavy metals in water samples by continuous powder introduction microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry after preconcentration on activated carbon

A novel continuous powder introduction microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry method (CPI-MIP-AES) has been developed for trace determination of metals in ground and tap water samples after preconcentration on activated carbon. The experimental setup consisted of integrated rectangular cavity TE₁₀₁ and vertically positioned plasma torch. The technical arrangement of the sample introduction system has been designed based on the fluidized bed concept. The satisfactory signal stability required for sequential analysis was attained owing to the vertical plasma configuration, as well as the plasma gas flow rate compatibility with sample introduction flow rate. The elements of interest (Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn) were preconcentrated in a batch procedure at pH 8–8.5 after addition of activated carbon and then, after filtering and drying of the activated carbon suspension, introduced to the MIP by the CPI system. An enrichment factor of about 1000-fold for a sample volume of 1 l was obtained. The detection limit values for the proposed method were 17–250 ng l⁻¹. The proposed method was validated by analyzing the certified reference materials: SRW “Warta” Synthetic River Water and BCR CRM 399 major elements in freshwater. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the heavy metals in tap water samples.     

Silver nanoparticle loaded on activated carbon and activated carbon modified with 2-(4-isopropylbenzylideneamino)thiophenol (IPBATP) as new sorbents for trace metal ions enrichment

The efficiencies and performances of silver nanoparticle loaded activated carbon modified with 2-(4-isopropylbenzylideneamino)thiophenol (IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC) and activated carbon modified with IPBATP (IPBATP-AC), as new sorbents, were evaluated for separation and preconcentration of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions from real environmental samples. The retained metals content was reversibly eluted using 5?mL of CH₃COOH (6.0?mol?L^?1) and/or 10?mL of 4.0?mol?L^?1 HNO₃ for IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC and IPBATP-AC, respectively. The experimental parameters influence the recoveries of metal ions including pH, amounts of ligand and supports, condition of eluents, sample and eluent flow rates of has been investigated. The preconcentration factors were found to be 100 for Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and 50 for Pb²⁺ ions using IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC, and 50 for Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and 25 for Pb²⁺ ions using IPBATP-AC. The detection limit of both SPE-based sorbents was between 1.6–2.5?ng?mL^?1 for IPBATP-AC and 1.3–2.5?ng?mL^?1 for IPBATP-Ag-NP-AC. The proposed methods have been successfully applied for the extraction and determination of the understudy metal ions content in some real samples with extraction efficiencies higher than 90% and relative standard deviations (RSD) lower than 2.4%.     

On-line preconcentration with activated carbon for microwave plasma torch atomic emission spectrometry

This paper presents a method whereby trace elements are adsorbed in NH(4)ClNH(3) medium on activated carbon and then determined by microwave plasma torch atomic emission spectrometry (MPT-AES). The working conditions (including microwave forward power, gas flow rate, NH(3)NH(4)Cl concentration in the sample solution, HCl concentration in the eluant, sample introduction rate and preconcentration time) were investigated in detail. The effects of concomitant ions were studied. The experimental results for such analytes as Pb, Mn, Cd, Cu and Fe indicate that the procedure can eliminate fundamentally the interferences caused by alkali and alkaline earth metal elements and the application of it to the determination of iron in industrial silicon and tap water samples is successful.     

Determination of molybdenum in biological samples by flame atomic spectrometry after preconcentration on activated carbon

Abstract  

Molybdenum is well known for its toxic effects, although it is also essential for N₂-fixing cyanobacteria and several enzymes. This study proposes a simple and accurate procedure for separation, preconcentration, and determination of trace amounts of molybdenum in biological samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. It is based on complexation of Mo by cupferron and sorption onto activated carbon. Effects of parameters such as pH, stirring time, and amounts of activated carbon and cupferron on recovery were examined. The results demonstrated that Mo at pH range of 2.5–3.5 was quantitatively sorbed onto activated carbon as its cupferron complex. The optimum stirring time was found to be 30 min. The relative standard deviation was found to be 12% for 200 cm³ 50 ng/cm³ Mo using 10 replicate preconcentration procedures. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 1.0 and 3 ng/cm³, respectively, by preconcentration of 200 cm³ initial sample to 2 cm³ final volume. As a result, an enrichment factor of 100-fold was achieved. The proposed preconcentration procedure was applied to determine Mo in biological samples such as vegetables, milk, and animal liver. The molybdenum concentrations were found (as μg/dm³ or μg/kg) in the range of 70–5,500 for plants, 3–124 for milk and milk powder, and 960 for liver samples.     

Determination of trace metals by ICP-OES in plant materials after preconcentration of 1,10-phenanthroline complexes on activated carbon

In this work, 1,10-phenanthroline was used as a complexing agent for the separation and preconcentration of Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II) on activated carbon. The metals were adsorbed on activated carbon by two methods: static (1) and dynamic (2). The optimal condition for separation and quantitative preconcentration of metal ions with activated carbon for the proposed methods was for (1) in the static methods in the pH range 7-9. The desorption was found quantitative with 8 mol dm⁻³ HNO₃ for Cd(II) (92.6%), Co(II) (95.6%), Pb(II) (91.0%), and with 3 mol dm⁻³ HNO₃ for Cd(II) (95.4%), Pb(II) (100.2%). The preconcentration factor was 100 with R.S.D. values between 1.0 and 2.9%. For (2), the dynamic method (SPE), the pH range for the quantitative sorption was 7-9. The desorption was found quantitative with 8 mol dm⁻³ HNO₃ for Cd(II) (100.6%), Pb(II) (94.4%), and reasonably high recovery for Co(II) (83%), Cu(II) (88%). The optimum flow rate of metal ions solution for quantitative sorption of metals with 1,10-phenanthroline was 1-2 cm³ min⁻¹ whereas for desorption it was 1 cm³ min⁻¹. The preconcentration factor was 50 for all the ions of the metals with R.S.D. values between 2.9 and 9.8%.The samples of the activated carbon with the adsorbed trace metals can be determined by ICP-OES after mineralization by means of a high-pressure microwave mineralizer. The proposed method provides recovery for Cd (100.8%), Co (97.2%), Cu (94.6%), Ni (99.6%) and Pb (100.0%) with R.S.D. values between 1.2 and 3.2%.The preconcentration procedure showed a linear calibration curve within the concentration range 0.1-1.5 μg cm⁻³. The limits of detection values (defined as “blank + 3s” where s is standard deviation of the blank determination) are 5.8, 70.8, 6.7, 24.6, and 10.8 μg dm⁻³ for Cd(II), Pb(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II), respectively, and corresponding limit of quantification (blank + 10s) values were 13.5, 151.3, 20.0, 58.9 and 33.2 μg dm⁻³, respectively.As a result, these simple methods were applied for the determination of the above-mentioned metals in reference materials and in samples of plant material.     

Highly efficient adsorbing noble metal ions by 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid-modified activated carbon

A method was established for the preconcentration of trace Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) by activated carbon modified with 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid. The separation and preconcentration conditions of analytes were investigated, such as effects of pH, the contacting time, the sample ?ow rate and volume, the elution condition and the interfering ions. At a pH of 1.0, the maximum static sorption capacity of the sorbent was found to be 374.8, 96.6 and 137.5 mg g^?1 for Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV), respectively. The adsorbed metal ions were effectively eluted with 2.0 mL of 4% thiourea in 0.5 M HCl solution and determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The detection limit (3σ) of this method defined by IUPAC was found to be 0.12, 0.18 and 0.32 ?g L^?1 for Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV), respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 3.0% (n = 8) towards standard solutions. The method has been validated by analysing certified reference materials and successfully applied to the determination of trace Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) in road sediments samples.     

Simultaneous determination of seven metal ions in water samples by solid-phase extraction on polyacrylonitrile activated carbon fibres

A new solid-phase extraction method utilising polyacrylonitrile activated carbon fibres (PAN-ACFs) as adsorbent was developed for the preconcentration of trace metal ions prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The PAN-ACFs oxidised with nitric acid were characterised by FT-IR, XRD, SEM and BET analysis. Then the resulting PAN-ACFs were used as solid-phase adsorbent for simultaneously determination of trace Al(III), Be(II), Bi(III), Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II) ions in aqueous solutions. The influences of the analytical parameters on the recoveries of the studied ions were investigated. The optimum experimental conditions of the proposed method were pH: 6.0; eluent concentration and volume: 3.0 mL of 1.5 mol L^?1 nitric acid; flow rates of sample and eluent solution: 1.5 mL min^?1. The preconcentration factors were found to be 67 for Al(III), Bi(III); 83 for Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III) and 50 for Be(II), Pb(II). The precision of this method was in range of 1.5%~3.5% and the detection limit of this metal ions was between 0.06~1.50 μg L^?1. The developed method was validated by the analysis of a certified reference sample and successfully applied to the determination of trace metal ions in water samples with satisfactory results.     

Chemically modified activated carbon with S-benzyldithiocarbazate as a new solid-phase extractant for preconcentration of mercury prior to ICP-AES determination

A new sorbent S-benzyldithiocarbazate (SBDTC) modified activated carbon (AC-SBDTC) was prepared and studied for preconcentration for trace mercury(II) prior to inductively coupled plasma atom emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The experimental conditions were optimised with respect to different experimental parameters using both batch and column procedures in detail. The optimum pH value for the separation of Hg(II) on the new sorbent was 3, while the adsorption equilibrium was achieved in less than 5?min. Complete elution of the adsorbed metal ions from the sorbent surface was carried out using 5?mL of 0.25?mol?L^?1 of HCl and 2% CS(NH₂)₂. Common coexisting ions did not interfere with the determination. The maximum static adsorption capacity of the sorbent under optimum conditions was found to be 0.55?mmol?g^?1. The detection limit of the present method was found to be 0.09?ng?mL^?1, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 2.0%. The procedure was validated by analysing the certified reference river sediment material (GBW 08301, China), the results obtained were in good agreement with standard values. This sorbent was successfully employed in the separation and preconcentration of trace Hg(II) from the natural water samples yielding 80-fold concentration factor.     

Determination of beryllium in solid samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after preconcentration on activated carbon.

It is generally supposed that the preconcentration procedure is used for the determination of metal concentrations under the sensitivity of the measurement method. This study showed that preconcentration is also need for the beryllium (Be) concentration over the sensitivity of atomic absorption spectrometry. For this purpose, a simple and selective method for the determination of Be in solid samples is modified. The method is based on the preconcentration of the complexes of beryllium-acetylacetone plus morin, oxine, PAN and PAR on activated carbon at different pH values. The adsorbed beryllium was eluted with aqua regia and measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Recoveries of up to 85% were achieved. For removing chemical interferences and applying the method to Be determination in solid samples, the masking studies and reproducibility were examined. The detection limit was found to be 0.12 ng mL(-1). The relative sandard deviations (RSD) were found to be 8% for 60 mL of 10.0 ng mL(-1) using 10 replicate enrichment procedures. Beryllium concentrations in the studied solid samples were found in the range of 0.28 - 3.95 mg kg(-1).     

Determination of Copper,Nickel and Cadmium by Faas After Preconcentration with Zinc-Piperazinedithiocarbamate Loaded on Activated Carbon by Solid-Phase Extraction

ABSTRACT

A method was developed for the preconcentration of copper, nickel and cadmium in water samples, prior to their determination by FAAS, using the Zn-piperazinedithiocarbamate complex (ZnPDC) loaded on activated carbon. In this method, Cu, Ni and Cd in liquid phase quantitatively replaced zinc on a ZnPDC-activated carbon solid phase. Afterwards, the metals on the solid phase were easily eluted by Hg (II) solution into aqueous phase, and were measured by FAAS. The optimum experimental parameters such as pH, sample volume, and effect of matrix ions for the preconcentration of the metals were investigated. The range of linearity 0-6, 0-5, 0-3 μgml^?1, correlation coefficient 0.998, 0.996, 0.999, detection limits 15.7, 23.5, 11.8 ngml^?1 and determination limits 136, 179, 98 ngml^?1 in final Hg(II) solution were obtained for Cu, Ni and Cd, respectively. The proposed method has been employed for the determination of Cu, Ni and Cd in various standard metal alloys and natural water samples.     

Potassium bromate modification of the granular activated carbon and its effect on nickel adsorption

Granular Activated Carbon (GAC), a commercial adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals was treated chemically with potassium bromate for it’s surface modification and it’s adsorption capacity was investigated with nickel ions. There was an increase in the adsorption capacity of the modified carbon by 90–95% in comparison to the raw granular activated carbon towards nickel ion adsorption. Potassium Bromate oxidation treatment was employed for a period of about 30 mins initially followed by 60 mins and the oxidized carbons were adsorbed with nickel ions. Metal sorption characteristics of as received and modified activated carbons were measured in batch experiments. Batch adsorption was successfully modeled by Langmuir Isotherm Model which indicates monolayer adsorption. The adsorption isotherms also fit well to the Freundlich Model. Effects of pH of initial solution, time of oxidation and mode of treatment on the adsorption process were studied. Experimental results showed that metal uptake increased with an increase in pH and oxidation time. The samples were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) studies and surface area analyzer.     

The determination of chromium in water samples by neutron activation analysis after preconcentration on activated carbon

A method is presented for the determination of chromium in sea-and fresh water. Chromium is concentrated on activated carbon from neutral solution after a previous reduction of chromate with sodium sulfite at pH 1.5. The final determination of the total chromium content is performed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. By preconcentration on activated carbon a differentiation between tervalent and hexavalent chromium is possible. A separate determination of both species is not yet feasible due to the high carbon blank and to the necessity of measuring the adsorption percentage on carbon. The lower limit of determination, which depends on the value of the carbon blank, is 0.05 μg Cr·1⁻¹ with a precision of 20%.     

Trace Enrichment and Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination of Lead,Copper, Cadmium and Nickel in Drinking Water Samples by Use of an Activated Carbon Column

Abstract

A simple method for atomic absorption spectrometric determination of lead, copper, cadmium and nickel in drinking water samples after preconcentration by sorbing 1-(2-pyridylazo) 2-naphthol (PAN) complex of these metals on an activated carbon column has been established. The metal/PAN complexes were quantitatively retained on the activated carbon in the pH range 6-8. Metals retained on the activated carbon column were completely eluted with 2M HCl in acetone. This method was applied to the determination of lead, copper, cadmium and nickel in drinking water samples and good results were obtained (Recoveries >95%, relative standard deviations <7%, relative error <3%).     

Separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of several metals in magnesium metal and nitrate, with activated carbon as a collector

A method is described for the preconcentration and determination of traces of Hg, Ag, Cu, Fe, In, Mn, Pb, and Zn present as impurities in magnesium metal (1 g) and nitrate (100 g). After the metal sample has been dissolved in nitric acid (or the salt in water) and the pH adjusted to 8.1-9 (except for preconcentration of Hg, when pH 3 is used), the solution is filtered through a 2-cm paper coated with 50 mg of activated carbon. The trace metals are quantitatively adsorbed on the activated carbon and separated from the matrix. The rest of the procedure has already been described. The detection limits for the analysis of 1 g of Mg and 100 g of Mg(NO(3))(2).6H(2)O are 0.03-1.3 ppm and 0.00031-0.013 ppm respectively, for all the trace metals except Hg. The limit is 0.00001(4) ppm for Hg in 100 g of Mg(NO(3))(2).6H(2)O. The coefficient of variation is 4-33%, depending on the trace metal.     

Solid-phase extraction of Hg(II) on creatine modified activated carbon and determination by ICP-OES in water samples

A new sorbent was successfully prepared by immobilizing creatine on activated carbon and then used for separation/preconcentration of trace Hg(II) prior to detection by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Experimental conditions including pH, sample flow rate and volume, eluting variables and tolerance limit of interfering ions were evaluated and established. At pH 1.0 and flow rate of 2.5?mL?min^?1, Hg(II) was adsorbed quantitatively on the column, then quantitatively eluted by 2.0?mL 0.1?mol?L^?1 nitric acid solution; other transition metal ions did not interfere with the determination of Hg(II). An enrichment factor of 100 was obtained for Hg(II). The maximum adsorption capacity was 49.5?mg?g^?1. Under the optimal conditions, the value of the detection limit (3σ) was 0.06?ng?mL^?1, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) calculated was lower than 3.0% (n?=?8). The methodology was validated by analyzing certified reference materials and successfully applied to the determination of trace Hg(II) in natural water samples with satisfactory results.     

Preconcentration of rare earth quinolin-8-ol complexes onto activated carbon and determination by first-order derivative x-ray fluorescence spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of traces of rare earths using energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) after preconcentration of their quinolin-8-ol complexes on activated carbon. Various parameters that influence the adsorptive preconcentration of rare earths on activated carbon, viz., pH, amounts of activated carbon and quinolin-8-ol, time of stirring and aqueous phase volume, were systematically studied. A numerical method based on a simple least-squares procedure using a fifth-order polynomial with 25 consecutive values was developed for smoothing and differentiation of EDXRF data which were previously digitized and averaged. First-order derivative EDXRF in conjunction with adsorptive preconcentration of activated carbon enables down to 10 ng ml^?1 of each rare earth element to be determined.     

姜黄素-硅胶吸附剂的制备及其富集分离饮用水中痕量铁铜离子

制备了一种新型姜黄素修饰的硅胶吸附剂,并以它为固相萃取吸附剂富集、分离饮用水中痕量的Fe3+、Cu2+离子,ICP-AES法测定。同时采用静态吸附法研究了吸附剂对Fe3+、Cu2+的吸附条件:pH、振荡时间、吸附剂质量、洗脱条件和干扰离子等。该方法适用于自来水、河水及海水中痕量铁铜的测定。