Characterisation of River Po particles by sedimentation field-flow fractionation coupled to GFAAS and ICP-MS

A procedure for elemental composition determination of water-borne river particles (Po River) on both size-fractionated and unfractionated submicron particles (0.1–1 μm) by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is reported. Sample fractionation was performed using sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF). The distribution of relative mass vs. particle size was determined using UV detection. Fractions were collected over a narrow size range for scanning electron microscopy. With this combination of techniques the mass, elemental composition, and shape distributions can be obtained across the size spectrum of the sample.

The size distributions of the major elements (Al, Fe) were determined by coupling both GFAAS and ICP-MS techniques to the SdFFF. The procedure was validated using a reference clay sample. Satisfactory agreement was found between both the GFAAS and ICP-MS aluminium signal and the UV detector signal. Some discrepancies were observed in the Fe/Al ratios when comparing GFAAS and ICP-MS. Thus further investigation is in order to fully assess the role of SdFFF-ICP-MS and SdFFF-GFAAS techniques for elemental characterisation of aquatic colloids. Both GFAAS and ICP-MS signals unambiguously indicate a significantly higher Fe content in the lower size range, which is consistent with previous investigations.

Trace element levels in unfractionated Po River particles, determined by both GFAAS and ICP-MS, show good agreement. The high levels of Cu, Pb, Cr and Cd found associated with the colloidal particles underlines the significance of the environmental role played by the suspended matter in rivers in both highly industrialised and intensively cultivated areas.     

Generalized localization and convergence tests for double trigonometric Fourier series of functions fromL p,p>1

. E , f(x)L _p (T ^N ),P1,f(x)=0 E (E— ^N =[-, ]^N) E , . , .

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In closing the author thanks V. A. Il'in and . A. Alimov for their constant attention paid to the present work.     

Retention behaviour of selected flavonoid compounds in NP-HPLC

Chromatographia - HPLC retention data for a number of flavonoid compounds have been evaluated on normal phase silica and cyano colums according to the Soczewinski-Snyder (S.-S.) model. On the...     

Metal content in river suspended particulate matter: data on Po River

The present study summarizes the last ten years of literature on heavy metal distribution in Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and dissolved phase in the Po River (Italy). The work compares different methodologies employed to collect, concentrate and fractionate the samples. The importance of metal speciation as a function of particle size is underlined and two approaches to metal speciation in the colloidal fraction of Po River SPM are presented: Sedimentation Field-Flow Fractionation (SdFFF) and pH-dependent extractions. Finally, emphasis is placed on the need for comparison with a reference "natural background level" of the metal load in Po River particulate matter in order to determine the real human contribution to river pollution. The high values of some trace transition elements, such as Cr and Ni, have been compared with clay sediments around Ferrara and with bricks in historic buildings. The highly comparable natural concentration of these metals in Po fine sedimentary rocks and in historic brick buildings of Ferrara (XII-XVI centuries) can provide information on natural geochemical anomalies.     

Freezing and thawing processes in porous media – Experiment and Simulation

In this paper, a ternary macroscopic model has been presented with respect to the simulation of freeze-thaw cycles in liquid filled porous media. Regarding the detection of energetic effects during the phase transition a modified ansatz for the supply term of mass was discussed. The illustrated results of the example show that the simplified model is capable to predict experimental observations. Especially, the influence of the heat of fusion could be realized in an efficient manner. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)