Direct determination of parts-per-billion levels of germanium in botanical samples and coal fly ash by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

 Parts-per-billion levels of germanium can be determined directly by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using palladium plus strontium as a mixed modifier resulting in pyrolysis temperatures up to 1400 °C without loss of germanium. At this temperature the matrix effect including the most troublesome sulfate interference can be eliminated. Palladium plus strontium nitrate is advantageous compared to palladium alone or palladium plus magnesium nitrate; an amount of 15 μg of sulfate does not show any interference on the determination of 1 ng of germanium. The method was successfully applied to the determination of ng/g levels of germanium in botanical samples and coal fly ash after thermal decomposition of the samples in a mixture of acids using a pressure bomb. The results were consistent with the reference values given for botanical samples and coal fly ash with a recovery range of 96.4∼103.4% Received: 16 September 1996/Revised: 10 December 1996/Accepted: 14 January 1997     

Distribution of natural radioactivity in coal and combustion residues of thermal power plants

In India about 70 % of the total power generation originates from thermal power plants. Increasing demands of power in a developing country like India has resulted in rapid increase in thermal generation capacity. Coal fired power generation results in huge amounts of fly ash and bottom ash of varying properties. Coal which contains the naturally occurring radionuclides, on burning results in enrichment of these radionuclides in the ashes. Despite the implementation of best possible mechanisms to restrict release of fly ash from the stack, huge amounts of the same gets released in the environment. Fly ash samples from and around six coal-fired power station across India were measured for ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K activity by an HPGe γ-ray spectrometer. Radium equivalent activity and external hazard index were calculated to assess the radiation hazards arising due to fly ash.     

Levels of seven PCBs used as markers of dioxin in commercial pork meat in Spain.

The levels of 7 PCBs used as markers of dioxin in 62 pork meat samples (head, loin, and dewlap) were determined by supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Analytical limits of detection for the individual congeners ranged from 0.048 to 0.2 ng/g dry wt. PCB congeners 153 and 180 were detected in all samples. Among congeners in general, PCB 52, 101, and 153 were the most abundant. There was a linear relationship with a good correlation between PCB 101 and PCB 52.     

Determination of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans in fly ash

Summary Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and Dibenzofurans (PCDF) in fly ash samples from coalburning power plants in Greece have been determined by high resolution gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometric detection (HRGC-MS) applying the isotopic dilution technique. Concentrations of PCDFs were 20 to 600 fold higher than for PCDDs. The concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were in the range of 11–62 and 1254–7180 pg/g respectively. Fly ashes from coal-burning power plants were found to be potential sources of PCDFs.     

Composition and morphology of stack emissions from coal and oil fuelled boilers

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) together with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used in the study of fly ash from large electric power and heating plants. Two basic kinds of fly ash originating either from brown coal or heavy-oil combustion can be characterized both by morphology and trace element composition. INAA technique used consisted of both short (1 min) and long (2 h) activations to ensure the determination of 30–40 elements in each fly ash sample. The average composition and determination limits obtained by INAA for coal fly ash produced in several electric power plants burning two kinds of brown coal have been compared with those obtained for fly ash originating from heating plants burning heavy-oil. Coal fly ash showed much higher concentrations of many elements especially of Sc. La, Th, Cs, Ce, Sm, Rb and Al in comparison with oil fly ash. On the other hand, the latter contained relatively high concentrations of V and Ni. The results of INAA of fly ash samples can be used for the projection of efficient separating devices and for the evaluation and prediction of contamination levels in the vicinity of large emission sources.     

Individual determination of ortho and non-ortho substituted polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in sediments by high performance liquid chromatographic pre-separation and gas chromatography/ECD detection

Summary An analytical procedure for the individual determination of ortho and non-ortho PCB congeners in sediments, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) preseparation and gas chromatography/ECD detection, is described. Gas chromatography/FTIR spectrometry (GC/FTIR) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were employed for individual congener identification and determination. Sample extraction, clean-up of extract and selective elution procedures were optimized by using reference certified marine sediment samples. Recovery and precision were typically 83% and 16% respectively at 2 ng/g of total PCB content. The proposed procedure, tested by analyzing real sediment samples, showed a reproducibility better than 20% at 13 ng/g PCB level.     

Rapid analysis of PAHs in fly ash using thermal desorption and fast GC-TOF-MS

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are semivolatile organic compounds that may form as a result of incomplete combustion of organic materials. After they are produced in combustion systems, this class of chemicals can be emitted with flue gas or adsorbed in combustion residues such as fly ash and bed ash. The purpose of this study is to develop a thermal extraction (TE) method for the determination of the 16 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specified priority PAH pollutants in fly ash. The commonly used method for determining PAHs in solid wastes is solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography (GC) or GC-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. This method is work- and time-intensive and produces solvent waste. In this study, the samples are analyzed using TE and fast GC-time-of-flight (TOF)-MS. The complete process from extraction to analysis can be achieved in less than one hour. The results indicate that the TE-GC-TOF-MS method has good linear range from 1.5 to 60 micro g/g for all 16 PAHs. The recoveries for the 16 target PAHs vary between 83% and 94%.     

Elemental characterization of coal fly ash using k0-based IM-NAA and EDXRF towards its potential utilization and environmental concern

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - India is a major producer of fly ash due to its coal-based thermal power plants. The elemental characterization of the fly ash facilitates its...     

Two new marine sediment standard reference materials (SRMs) for the determination of organic contaminants

Two new marine sediment standard reference materials (SRMs), SRM 1941b Organics in Marine Sediment and SRM 1944 New York/New Jersey Waterway Sediment, have been recently issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the determination of organic contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and chlorinated pesticides. Both sediment SRMs were analyzed using multiple analytical methods including gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) on columns with different selectivity, reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (for PAHs only), and GC with electron capture detection (for PCBs and pesticides only). SRM 1941b has certified concentrations for 24 PAHs, 29 PCB congeners, and 7 pesticides, and SRM 1944 has certified concentrations for 24 PAHs, 29 PCB congeners, and 4 pesticides. Reference concentrations are also provided for an additional 58 (SRM 1941b) and 39 (SRM 1944) PAHs, PCB congeners, and pesticides. SRM 1944, which was collected from multiple sites within New York/New Jersey coastal waterways, has contaminant concentrations that are generally a factor of 10–20 greater than SRM 1941b, which was collected in the Baltimore (Maryland) harbor. These two SRMs represent the most extensively characterized marine sediment certified reference materials available for the determination of organic contaminants.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

Congener profile and toxicity assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls in human adipose tissue of Italians and Chileans

Human exposure to polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in humans was determined by analyzing adipose tissue samples collected in 1996–1997 from two different localities: Siena (Italy) and Concepción (Chile). ΣPCBs was higher in Italian samples than that from Chile (493 and 53 ng/g wet wt., respectively). Thirty-seven different PCB congeners were identified in all samples. The prevailing PCB congeners in both groups were 22′44′5 pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC no. PCB 118), 22′344′5′ (PCB-138) and 22′44′55′ (PCB-153) hexachlorobiphenyls and 22′33′44′5 (PCB-170), 22′344′55′ (PCB-180) and 22′34′55′6 (PCB-187) heptachlorobiphenyls. PCB-153 accounted for more than 20% of the total PCB residue in both groups, while the remaining six congeners accounted for approximately 70%. Hexachlorobiphenyls were the most abundant congeners in all samples, with 42% of total residue in those from Italy and 43% in the Chilean samples, followed by heptachlorobiphenyls with 41 and 36% in Italian and Chilean samples, respectively. Average concentrations of non-ortho substituted coplanar congeners were below 1 pg/g wet wt. In the samples from Siena no noticeable differences were observed between the three average coplanar concentrations, while in those from Concepción 33′44′tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB-77) was much higher than 33′44′pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126) and 33′44′55′hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-169). For each sample the contribution to the total toxic equivalent values (ΣTEQs) of each non-ortho, mono-ortho and di-ortho substituted PCB congeners was assessed. The overall TEQs calculated for the monitored PCBs, were 10.16 pg/g wet wt. in Italian samples and 1.09 pg/g wet wt. in Chileans ones. In both groups the main contribution to ΣTEQs were the di-ortho substituted PCB congeners (Siena: 6.17 pg/g wet wt.; Concepción: 0.56 pg/g wet wt.) and the mono-ortho substituted PCB congeners (Siena: 3.97 pg/g wet wt.; Concepción: 0.50 pg/g wet wt.).     

Determination of arsenic in fly ash by hydride generation in a slurry

We have studied the generation of arsenic hydride on a fly ash slurry from a thermal power plant burning lignite. The conditions for the formation of the slurry were optimized and the influence of the presence of various surfactants on the formation and stability of slurry (particle size-analytical signal ratio) were investigated.The As content in the ash was 78.7 g/g, with an rsd of 5.6% and a detection limit of 2.8 ng. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of arsenic in a certified ash sample (BCR-38). This method was applied to fly ash from a thermal power plant burning anthracite.     

Validation of the Method of Selected Polychlorinated Biphenyls Determination in Human Milk Samples

A method for determination of trace concentrations of individual PCB congeners in human milk was validated. The analytical procedure included the following steps: acetone : hexane extraction, clean-up of extracts with concentrated sulfuric acid and solid phase extraction (SPE) on Florisil. The identification and quantification of analytes in purified extracts were carried out by high-resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) with electron capture detection (ECD) and/or with low-resolution mass spectrometry (LRMS). Recoveries of 14 PCB congeners from spiked cow milk samples, based on HRGC-ECD were between 87.3 and 93.6%. The precision of analyte determination was established as close to or less than 10%. The detection limits ranged between 0.14 and 0.26 ng/g fat and the quantification limits between 0.57 and 0.86 ng/g fat. The method was linear and characterized by good correlation coefficients (>0.99) for most of the compounds studied. The quality of the method under validation was verified by the analysis of Standard Reference Material (CRM-450) and interlaboratory exercise.     

Accurate determination of naturally occurring radionuclides in Philippine coal-fired thermal power plants using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and γ-spectroscopy

There is an increased interest in measuring naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) like coal, fly ash considering health hazards caused by naturally occurring radionuclides. This paper presents activity concentration (AC) of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, ²³²Th, ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K in feed coal, bottom and fly ash samples from Philippines coal-fired thermal power plants using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and high-purity germanium gamma spectroscopy (HPGe γ-spectroscopy). Coal, bottom and fly ash samples were digested using a microwave oven with a mixture of HNO₃, HClO₄ and HF. Uranium (²³⁸U) and thorium (²³²Th) ACs were also analyzed from samples using ICP-MS. A good correlation was found for the measurement of U and Th using both techniques (R² = 0.97 and 0.94 respectively). ICP-MS measurements showed the highest AC of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U in fly ash and lowest for feed coal samples. With HPGe γ-spectroscopy measurements, highest AC (in Bq kg^{− 1}) of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁸Th and ⁴⁰K, were noticed in fly ash followed by bottom ash and feed coal. ICP-MS method is rapid for the measurement of uranium and thorium in comparison to γ-spectroscopy as secular equilibrium is not required. Activity concentrations of bottom and fly ash samples were found to be within the reported values worldwide and below the International Atomic Energy Agency recommended values for regulatory control.     

Analysis of 27 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by matrix solid-phase dispersion and isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in sewage sludge from the Spanish area of Madrid

A method for the determination of 27 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in urban, industrial or rural zones is presented. PAHs were extracted by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) assisted by sonication. Purification of extracts was carried out by solid-phase extraction with C(18) and PAHs were eluted with acetonitrile. PAHs were determined by isotope dilution gas chromatography with electron impact mass spectrometric detection in the selected ion-monitoring mode (GC-MS-SIM), using deuterated PAHs as internal standards. The limits of detection ranged from 0.03 ng/g for acenaphthylene to 0.45 ng/g for benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thyophene. After optimization, the method was validated with a certified reference sludge. The proposed analytical method was applied to determine PAH levels in sewage sludge samples collected from 19 water treatment plants located in the province of Madrid (Spain). In most of the examined samples, phenanthrene was the main compound with a mean concentration of 1062 ng/g. PAHs were detected in all of the samples, with total concentrations between 390 and 6390 ng/g dry weight for the 27 PAHs analyzed and from 310 to 5120 ng/g dry weight for the sum of the 10 PAHs considered in the draft European Union directive.     

Technical and radiological characterisation of fly ash and bottom ash from thermal power plant

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Huge quantities of fly ash and bottom ash are generated from thermal power plants and it presents great concern for country, mainly due...     

Transformation of South African coal fly ash into ZSM-5 zeolite and its application as an MTO catalyst

This study presents a way of using South African coal fly ash by extracting metals such as Al and Fe with concentrated sulphuric acid, and then using the solid residue as a feedstock for the synthesis of ZSM-5 zeolite. The percentage of aluminium and iron oxides decreased from 28.0 ± 0.2% and 5.0 ± 0.1% in coal fly ash to 24.6 ± 0.1% and 1.6 ± 0.01% in the acid treated coal fly ash respectively. The fly ash-based zeolite ZSM-5 sample synthesised from the solid residue after extraction of Al and Fe, contained 62% of ZSM-5 zeolite pure phase with a number of Brønsted acid site density of 0.61 mmol per g_zeolite.By properly treating the as-prepared coal fly ash-based ZSM-5 zeolite, an active and selective methanol-to-olefins acid catalyst could be designed, leading to full methanol conversion during 15 h on stream. The optimised catalyst exhibited a cumulative methanol conversion capacity of 71 g(MeOH_converted)/g(catalyst) and a light olefin productivity of 21 g(C₂₌–C₄₌)/g(catalyst).     

Exploration of coordination polymer as sorbent for flow injection solid-phase extraction on-line coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental materials

The copper(II) isonicotinate (Cu(4-C5H4N-COO)2(H2O)4) coordination polymer was prepared, characterized and explored as sorbent for flow injection solid-phase extraction on-line coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental matrices. Naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(ghi)perylene with various shape, size and hydrophobicity were used as model analytes. The porosity of the coordination polymer allows these guest PAHs molecules to diffuse into the buck structure, and the shape and size of the pores lead to shape- and size-selectivity over the guests. The precolumn packed with the coordination polymer was shown to be promising for solid-phase extraction of PAHs in environmental samples with subsequent HPLC separation and UV detection. With extraction of 50 ml of sample solution, the enhancement factors for the PAHs studied ranged from 200 to 2337, depending on the shape, size and hydrophobic property of the PAHs. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of 2-14 ng l(-1) and the sample throughput of 3 samples h(-1) were obtained. The developed method was applied to the determination of trace PAHs in a certified reference material (coal fly ash) and local water samples.     

Polychlorinated biphenyls,dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in soil samples from airport areas of Croatia

Levels and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were studied in surface soil samples collected in the coastal part of Croatia within and surrounding four different airports and in the vicinity of two partially devastated electrical transformer stations. The compounds accumulated from air-dried soil samples by multiple ultrasonic extraction with an n-hexane?:?acetone 1?:?1 mixture were analysed by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture and ion-trap detection. PCBs were quantified against a standard Aroclor 1242/Aroclor 1260 mixture and a standard mixture of 17 individual PCB congeners (IUPAC No.: 28, 52, 60, 74, 101, 105, 114, 118, 123, 138, 153, 156, 157, 167, 170, 180, and 189). The mass fractions of total PCBs in 18 soil samples collected within the airport premises ranged from 3 to 41?327?µg/kg dry weight (dw) (median: 533?µg/kg?dw), and those in 21 samples collected at a distance ranging from several metres to 5?km away from the airport fence, from <1 to 39?µg/kg?dw (median: 5?µg/kg?dw). The highest PCB levels were determined in soils along the airport aprons where the aircrafts were serviced and refuelled. The PCB pattern was very similar to technical Aroclor 1260 in all airport soils. The PCB pattern in 22 soils collected in the vicinity of electrical transformer stations was dominated by congeners contained in Aroclor 1242. These soils contained 7 to >400?µg/kg?dw of total PCBs. One highly PCB-contaminated airport soil sample was analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). With an international toxic equivalent (I-TEQ) of 9.7?ng/kg?dw, the airport soil contamination was within values typical for urban and rural areas, and the congener patterns gave no clear indication for PCBs as the only source of PCDDs/PCDFs.     

燃煤飞灰中铁质微珠的显微结构及其组成研究

选用我国三个典型燃煤煤种的电厂飞灰中铁质微珠,进行显微结构与物相组成等方面的研究。揭示出铁质微珠中存在空心微珠、子母珠和实心微珠三种显微颗粒类型,在这些显微颗粒表面可识别出以微粒状和八面体自形晶两种方式存在的赤铁矿和磁铁矿析晶;元素分析表明,燃烧褐煤电厂铁质微珠主要由Fe、Ca、Al、和Si元素组成,燃烧烟煤和无烟煤的电厂铁质微珠主要由Fe、Al和Si元素组成;物相分析发现,Fe在铁质微珠中以四种存在形式：Fe3O4、α-Fe2O3、γ-Fe2O3和Fe3+-玻璃相。这些物相在三个电厂飞灰中呈现出不同的分布特征,反映出不同的燃煤煤种在锅炉中燃烧温度的差异。随着温度的升高,Fe3O4先氧化为γ-Fe2O3,或γ-Fe2O3与Fe3O4的固熔体,然后再转变为α-Fe2O3,当温度超过 1 400 ℃时,Fe2O3又转化为Fe3O4。     

Diol sep-pak cartridges for enrichment of polychlorobiphenyls and chlorinated pesticides from water samples; determination by GC-ECD

Summary Gas chromatography of polychlorinated biphenyls and chlorinated pesticides in water samples has been performed after adsorption from a 20–200-mL sample on to a cartridge containing 100 mg diol-bonded porous silica. The PCBs are desorbed with 500 μL ethyl acetate, which is concentrated and analysed by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD). The average recovery of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ PCB congeners from distilled water and from Aniene river water is≥95% (standard deviation≤2.8). Average recoveries of 25 ng mL⁻¹ Aroclor 1254 from distilled water and from Aniene river water were, respectively, 94.4% and 92.5% (standard deviation 5.8). In the separation of PCB congeners from the chlorinated pesticides only the aldrin (40%) was eluted with the PCBs from the diol Sep-Pak cartridge by aqueous methanol. The method described is simple and reproducible.