Simultaneous determination of trace metals in sewage and sewage effluents by inductively coupled argon plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Inductively coupled plasma excitation sources are adapted for the simultaneous determination of multiple elements in sewage and sewage effluents by atomic emission detection. Digestion with aqua regia in test tubes is recommended for sample preparation. A typical comparison of lead in sewage by atomic emission (x) and atomic absorption (y) gave a least-squares fit of x = 0.98 y + 0.03 with a standard error of 0.5 mg l^-1 and a correlation coefficient of 0.996. More complete comparison data by the atomic emission and absorption techniques are presented for other elements.