X‐ray fluorescence analysis of trace metals in environmental water using preconcentration with an iminodiacetate extraction disk

A simple and convenient x‐ray fluorescence analysis procedure for trace amounts of Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb in water was developed using preconcentration with an iminodiacetate extraction disk (IED). The IED was coated on both faces with commercially available laminate film to prevent x‐ray damage to the IED by strong x‐irradiation (4 kW; 50 kV, 80 mA) of the wavelength‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence spectrometer. Lamination of the IED prolongs its life from 7 to about 200 min at 4 kW irradiation while negligibly decreasing the x‐ray fluorescence. Lowering the power of primary x‐rays to less than 1.5 kW compensated for the Hg evaporation. Linear calibration curves were obtained over the range 500 µg–5 mg for Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb. Detection limits corresponding to three times the standard deviation of the blank intensity were 0.1–0.4 µg for Mn, Co and Ni, 0.5–0.8 µg for Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb and 7 µg for Cd. A spike test for 10 µg of eight analytes, excluding Mn, showed good recoveries (90–100%) for city water and rainwater. Analytical results for municipal tap water and rainwater agreed well with values obtained using atomic absorption spectrometry. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence analysis of modern coloured glasses from Marinha Grande (Portugal)

The elemental composition (K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Ba, Nd and Pb) of modern coloured glasses was obtained by energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. This non‐destructive technique is frequently used in the analysis of historical glass objects. Two reference glasses were also measured to assess the overall accuracy of the EDXRF method. Reference and unknown glasses were analysed without any preparation. The coloured glass samples studied belong to the Glass Museum of Marinha Grande and were chosen from two distinct collections, which were characterized by the different concentrations of some elements (K, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ba and Pb). The determined major elements allowed the identification of two raw materials used in glass manufacture, sand and lime. Multivariate statistical analysis, namely principal component extraction, simplified the identification of some of the colouring chemical elements, associating them with the different colours of the glass objects. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trace element categorization of pollution sources in the equator town of Nanyuki,Kenya

An air pollution campaign was carried out in the town of Nanyuki at four different sites during July and August 1999. Nanyuki is situated on the equator on the northwestern slope of Mount Kenya at about 1930 m above sea level. The intention of the project was to characterize aerosol elemental compositions in two size fractions, associated with specific natural and anthropogenic activities. A dichotomous impactor was used for sampling and an energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence spectrometer was used for the analysis. Fourteen elements (Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Br, Rb, Sr and Pb) were analysed in all the samples. The concentration of Pb was highest at a site in the vicinity of open‐air vehicle garages. The four sites recorded high concentrations of fine S, Cl and K. Fine Zn and Br were also measured at all the sites. In the coarse size range, the concentrations of soil‐derived elements (Si, K, Ca and Fe) were dominant. The high concentration of coarse Cl was considered to be due to the contribution of sea salt and that of S to be a contribution of gas to particle conversion of SO₂. The two elements S and Cl signified the influence of long‐distance transported aerosols. The comparatively high concentrations of fine Pb and Br signified the high rate of vehicle repairs, which is a major activity close to one of the sites. Generally, soil dust‐derived particles and those from biomass burning dominated the town aerosols. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of metal release from battery and electronic components in soil using SR‐TXRF and EDXRF

Potentially toxic elements may be leached contaminating the soil, surface, and ground water due to the improper disposal of batteries and electronic devices. The objective of this study was to evaluate metal release from batteries and electronic components deposited in specific receptacles filled with soil in which acid rain was simulated. The leachate solution and the soil were analyzed by synchrotron radiation total reflection x‐ray fluorescence and benchtop energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence, respectively. Results indicate that batteries released K, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb and electronic component released Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb. For batteries' leachate test samples, higher amounts of Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Pb have been released compared with electronic component ones under same the experimental conditions. The Fe, Cu, and Pb concentrations in battery leachate test samples were above their National Environment Council maximum permitted values (MPV) and in the electronic waste leachate ones, only the Pb concentrations was above MPV. For soil sample containing batteries K, Mn and Zn presented higher concentrations, mainly at the 10‐cm topsoil, ranging from 0.16 to 0.50, 0.27 to 8.67, and 0.03 to 1.26, in % (% w/w), respectively. The Zn–C battery soil samples present similar behavior to the alkaline ones. The impact due to the Pb release was higher in the soil test samples with electronic components, in which their concentrations ranged from 51 to 394 mg/kg, above its MPV up to 28‐cm soil layer. The X‐ray fluorescence techniques employed were suitable for water and soil environmental evaluation.     

Determination of residual metal concentration in metallurgical slag after acid extraction using total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry

Total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) was used to determine residual metal content in metallurgical slag after sulfuric acid extraction. A slag sample provided by a copper smelter industry and submitted to a recycling process with the aim of extracting valuable metals was analyzed. Slurry sampling was evaluated as a simple sample preparation procedure for the determination of major (Si, Fe, K, Ca) and trace elements (Ti, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Sr, Rb, Mn) in two certified reference materials (lake and river sediments) to evaluate the accuracy of the procedure. Precision was evaluated as relative standard deviation (%) of three replicates, being usually lower than 10%. Detection limits were in the range of 1.1–1079 µg g^?1. Additionally, it was evaluated to use Si – a major component of the slag – as intrinsic reference to determine residual elements in the slag residues. A two‐element internal standard (Ga + P) was employed to determine all the elements. Ga was used as internal standard for the determination of elements from K to Pb, and P was required for the quantification of Si. The optimal procedure of slurry sampling was applied for the analysis of the original metallurgical slag and the solid residues. It was found that As and Pb are accumulated in the slag, whereas Cu, Zn, and Fe are extracted to a percentage >90% from the slag. This was confirmed by analysis of the sulfuric acid extracts of the metallurgical slag. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The technique of high-pressure powder pressing with polyester film covering for XRF of geochemical samples

The method of determination of major (Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Mn, P, Ti) and trace elements (As, Ba, Br, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Ga, Nb, Sr, La, Ni, Pb, Rb, S, U, Th, V, Y, Zn, Zr) in geochemical samples by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with a new sample preparation technique-high pressure pressed pellet and covered with a 3.6 μm polyester film is proposed. The pellet was pressed at 2,000 kN, which was particularly meaningful for the sample with high silicon content and ideal pellet was formed without binder. Coating with a polyester film prevented the variation of chlorine content after multiple analyses of the same pellet, which was caused by the vacuum and long-time irradiation. And 62 rock, soil and sediment reference materials were applied to create calibration curves. The accuracy of the method was evaluated with another eight certified reference materials that were not used in the regression curve. In most cases, the relative error between the certified value and the calculated value was <10% for major elements and <25% for trace elements, except for those approaching the limit of detection. The limit of detection obtained using this pellet preparation technology is suitable for geochemical analyses.     

Evaluation of distribution and bioavailability of Cr,Mn, Fe,Cu, Zn and Pb in the waters of the upper course of the Lerma River

Distribution and bioavailability of Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb in the waters of the upper course of the Lerma River (UCLR), Mexico, were evaluated by means total reflection x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry. The surface water samples were collected from eight sites distributed along the flow direction of the river. Four sampling campaigns were carried out in each site during a one‐year period. The water samples were analyzed in triplicate, using a TXRF Spectrometer ‘TX‐2000 Ital Structures’ with a Si(Li) detector and a resolution of 140 eV (FWHM) at Mn Kα. A Mo tube (40 kV, 30 mA) with 17.4 KeV excitation energy was used for a counting time of 500 s. Results show that the concentration ranges of heavy metals in the water are the following: Cr, from < 5 to 56 µg/l; Mn, from 9 to 788 µg/l; Fe, from 98 to 8474 µg/l; Cu, from 10 to 225 µg/l; Zn, from 23 to 189 µg/l and Pb, from < 3 to 30 µg/l. There are significant statistical differences in the concentration of heavy metals between the different sampling sites and between the different sampling campaigns. The Pearson correlation results indicate a strong correlation between some heavy metals in the water, this significant correlation (p < 0.05) indicating a natural or/and a shared contamination source for these metals. Metal concentration in the water mostly did not exceed the guide values given by Mexican regulation for agricultural use. Only Cu, Mn and Fe in total water phase exceeded the maximum permissible limits for irrigation proposes at some sites. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methodology for the Determination of Stoichiometry and Metal Impurities in New PZT Ceramics by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Spectrometry (ICP OES)

ABSTRACT

An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) method for Pb, Zr, Ti, Sr, Cr, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Al determination in PZT-ceramics is described. Careful analytical work was carried out in order to evaluate precision, accuracy, and matrix interference. Different procedures were investigated for the ceramics decomposition. Axially viewed plasma operating conditions were evaluated for trace elements (Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Cr) in presence of sample matrix. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 0.7 to 3.9%, whereas the analytes recoveries in the spiked samples ranged from 92 to 119%. The detection limits (LODs) of trace elements ranged from 2.4 to 2.6 µg g^?1. The developed method is useful for evaluating the PZT-ceramics synthesis.     

微区X射线荧光光谱仪研制及元素生物地球化学动态分布过程研究

微区无损分析可提供物质组成元素的原位分布信息,以揭示物质形成条件、元素动态分布过程与相互作用机理、生物代谢作用等。文章报道了实验室型微区X射线荧光(μXRF)光谱仪的研发和元素生物地球化学动态分布过程研究结果。μXRF光谱仪采用15 μm光斑的聚束毛细管X射线透镜为激发源,选用分辨率为135 eV的硅漂移探测器(SDD),样品和探测器间角度可调,使之可进行异型样品如地质样品的原位分析,利用五轴自控实现样品时空四维元素分布测定。利用该μXRF光谱仪测定了矿物-生物膜间的元素迁移和玉米种发芽过程中的元素分布,发现(1)生物膜可吸附、富集毒性元素铅,是重金属的重要汇集地,最大富集系数1.7。(2)生物膜是金属从固态矿物相经水相进入生态系统的重要途径。(3)在玉米种子中,可检测到K,Ca,Mn,Fe,Cu,Zn和Pb。Zn主要在胚乳中分布,胚中有少量Zn存在;在胚乳和胚中存在微量Fe;胚乳中存在微量Pb,胚中未观测到Pb。(4)经含Pb溶液浸泡发芽后,K在玉米种中胚和胚乳中部分富集,Fe分布在种皮和胚乳中,Cu和Zn主要在胚乳中分布;Pb主要在胚根、胚轴和胚芽中分布,且Pb在新生根中高度富集。研究表明,在种子萌发阶段,Pb等毒性元素可被植物滞留于根部,制约了其向地上部的转移,从而揭示了植物对毒性元素的耐受机制。     

Trace element composition of common sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) tissues

Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis is used to determine for the first time the absolute content and biological accumulation coefficients for a set of 21 chemical elements (K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Y, Mo, and Pb) in the fruits, leaves, bark, roots, and root nodules of the sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. ssp. mongolica Rousi). It is found that all sea buckthorn tissues accumulate Ti, Nb, Cr, and Zr more intensively than the global average for terrestrial phytomass. On the other hand, none of the examined parts of the sea buckthorn plants accumulated the toxic elements Pb and As.     

Characterization of Indian Ayurvedic herbal medicines for their metal concentrations using WD‐XRF spectrometry

This article describes the details of metal concentrations evaluated using wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (WD‐XRF) spectrometry. A total of 22 elements, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ti, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Ba, Au, and Sn from 16 Ayurvedic medicines were characterized. The method was validated by analyzing the six certified reference materials of soil standards [NIST SRM‐2710, CRM 027‐050 (US‐EPA certified), PS‐1, TILL‐1 and TILL‐4 (Canadian certified reference material, CCRMP) and JSO‐1 (Japanese certified reference material)]. The elemental concentrations in all the standards are found to be within ± 10% of the reported values. Crystalline phases in the individual drug samples were explained by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Qualitative phase identification was done using the ICDD database. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

安徽茶园茶叶中四种大量元素和七种微量元素的含量分析及生物富集研究

主要采用电感耦合等离子体质谱技术(inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry,ICP-MS)测定了安徽茶园茶叶中四种大量元素(Ca,K,Mg,P)和七种微量元素(Al,Mn,Fe,Cu,Zn,Cd 和Pb)含量,并进行了生物富集分析。结果表明,嫩叶中Ca,K,Mg 和 P的含量最高(Ⅰ, >3.0 mg·g-1),Al,Mn,Zn 和 Fe的含量次之(Ⅱ, 0.2～3.0 mg·g-1),Cu,Pb 和 Cd的含量最低(Ⅲ, <0.05 mg·g-1);而老叶中含量最高的是Ca,K,Mg 和Al(Ⅰ, >3.0 mg·g-1),P,Mn,Zn 和 Fe的含量次之(Ⅱ, 0.2～3.0 mg·g-1),Cu,Pb 和 Cd的含量最低(Ⅲ, <0.05 mg·g-1)。其中,P和Mn是茶叶中富集能力最强的;此外,Cu, Pb和Cd的含量低于相关的限量标准。聚类分析结果表明舒茶早和龙井43两个品种之间矿质元素的组成没有显著性的差异。     

Levels and sources of heavy metal contamination in road dust in selected major highways of Accra,Ghana

Environmental studies have revealed significant contributions of vehicular exhaust emissions to high pollution levels in urban dwellings. The levels and sources of heavy metal contaminations of some major roads in Accra have been investigated in this work. Street dust samples collected from four major roads in Accra (Mallam Junction‐Weija road, John Teye‐Pokuase road, Tema Motorway and Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Accra) were analysed for their elemental concentrations using energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence. Twenty elements were identified: K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Pb. Significant concentration levels were obtained for K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Pb in all the samples and were used for the source identification. Enrichment factors and principal component analysis were used to verify the anthropogenic contribution to road dust. Results obtained for the enrichment factors showed moderate enrichment for V, Cr and Cu, while Zn, Br, Zr and Pb were significantly enriched. Principal component analysis identified four sources and their contributions to the elemental contents in the road dust. Natural crust, brake wear, tyre wear and vehicle exhaust emission were the four sources identified. The contribution of vehicular non‐exhaust emissions to heavy metal contamination in the road dust was found to be greater than that of exhaust emissions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elemental Analysis of Tea Leaves (Camellia Sinensis) and Their Own Soils at Eastern Black Sea Region in Turkey

People consume tea brewed from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant for about 50 centuries. Health benefits of the tea have been investigated for about three decades. Especially green tea shows antitoxic and lots of properties with its determined ingredients. Turkey is not only the one of the best consumer and but also good producer of the tea as being 5 th producer all over the world. It grows eastern region of the Turkey and high quality tea is imported and exported. To have quality tea, grooving soils are also crucial. In the current research, Tea leaves and their own grown soils were collected from 20 stations where the most tea producer cities as Trabzon, Rize and Artvin tea fields of the eastern of Black Sea Region in Turkey. The cultivated tea and their own grown soil samples were analysed by using EDXRF Spectrometry. In the soil samples, the elements Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Ba, Pb on percent level and the elements Mg, Al, Si, P, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Sr in the tea leaves were detected by using SKRAY 3600-EDXRF.and also the obtained data were evaluated with the Kriging interpolation of geostatistical method. Element content were investigated in the soil and tea samples according to the geological situations and also the relation of elemental difference between the tea and the own grown soil. Pb/Zn ratio was also anaysed in the samples.     

土壤重金属沿山地森林海拔梯度的分布特征

采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法与石墨炉原子吸收光谱法,研究了14种重金属(Fe,Al,Ti,Cu,Cr,Mn,V,Zn,Ni,Co,Pb,Se,Cd,As)沿山地森林海拔梯度的分布特征.结果表明海拔梯度对14种重金属中的6种重金属浓度(Fe,A1,Ti,V,Pb与As)有显著的影响,对其他八种重金属浓度(Cu,Cr,M...     

Trace element analysis of fly ash samples by EDXRF technique

Trace element analysis of some fly ash samples and soil samples have been carried out by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence technique. Fourteen elements namely K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr and Pb have been quantified in the fly ash samples by this technique. It was found that there is no huge concentration difference between the fly ash and soil samples as a result of which fly ash can be used as soil manure without any adverse impact on the plants.      

Trace Metal Determination in ‘Marsh’ Grapefruit Peel by Automated Fast Sequential Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Major trace elements (K, Ca, Mg, P, Na), minor trace minerals (B, Sr, Mo, Fe, Cu, Ni, Ba, Zn, Mn, Al, Cr, Sn, Rb), and ultra trace metals (Ti, V, Co, Li) in fresh ‘Marsh’ grapefruit peel samples collected during two consecutive seasons (1981–82 and 1982–83) were determined by an automated fast sequential multielement spectrometer using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) as an excitation source for Atomic Emission Spectrometry (AES). Among the major elements K showed a range of 2000–3200 ppm with a significant difference of concentration fluctuations in both seasons. Within the ultra trace metal group, concentrations were found at constant levels for both periods. In the minor trace group, elements such as Sr, Mo, Fe, Cu, Ni, Ba, Al, and Cr showed slight concentration differences during the 1981–82 season when compared to the 1982–83 period.     

XRF applications in archaeometry: analysis of Marajoara pubic covers and pigments from the sarcophagus cartonage of an Egyptian mummy

This work presents two applications of XRF in archaeometry. The first case involved a female mummy from the Roman period, which is considered one of the most important pieces of the National Museum (Rio de Janeiro), because of its unconventional embalming with legs and arms swathed separately. The objective was to characterize the elemental composition of the pigments found in the sarcophagus cartonage and to verify whether they were in accordance with those used by Egyptian craftsmen in the cited period. The elements identified were Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Hg, and Pb. In the second case, the composition of decorated pottery pubic covers (tangas) from the Marajoara culture was evaluated using EDXRF. Ceramics from the Marajó Island (at the mouth of Amazon River, Brazil) represent one of the most beautiful and sophisticated styles of the pre‐Columbian art. Decorated tangas were used by Marajoara girls probably as part of puberty rites. The analyzed samples were two tangas and four fragments from the National Museum's collection. One fragment (sample 22245) presented a different design pattern that seemed to indicate a different provenance. The elements identified were K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Pb. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the results. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of primary filter using theoretical intensity of fluorescent X‐rays and scattered X‐rays

A primary filter is often used for low‐concentration analysis by energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer. We determined the material and thickness of the primary filter and calculated the theoretical intensities of the fluorescent X‐rays and scattered X‐rays using lead in brass, for which the concentration is known. The filter materials were zirconium, nickel, titanium, aluminum, and molybdenum with a thickness between 20 and 125 µm. For verification, we calculated the lower limits of detection using theoretical intensities for several filters and compared them with values calculated using the measured intensities. For example, both values were similar for a 125 µm zirconium filter: 128.0 ppm using theoretical intensities and 147.7 ppm using measured intensities. The theoretical intensity values are obtained by measurements and calculations, but require no primary filters for the measurements. This method is extremely effective for selecting the optimal filter for multiple samples and elements. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heavy metal analysis around Iskenderun Bay in Turkey

The heavy metal analysis around Iskenderun Bay in Turkey was carried out using mosses, soils, mussels, and sediments. This region is one of the most industrial areas of Turkey, including iron–steel plants, beverage, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plants, and oil transfer docks. Energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (Epsilon 5, PANalytical, Almelo, The Netherlands) was used to analyze all samples. V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb elements were observed in all samples studied. Although Ce was detected in some mosses and soils, Sn was detected only in some moss samples. Pb concentrations in the moss samples are higher than the soil, the mussel, and the sediment samples. This can be attributed to the mosses that absorb heavy metals such as Pb easily from the air. As the aim of this study was to analyze heavy metals, the evaluation of these elements with their potential hazards for ecology and humans is briefly discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.