Determination of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper in soils and sewage sludges by microprocessor-controlled voltammetry in comparison with atomic absorption spectrometry

Summary Information on the heavy metal contents in soils and sewage sludges is of strong ecological interest. For control of the maximum allowed concentrations photometric and atomic absorption spectrometric methods have been developed for the determination of the single elements; sample digestion is carried out using hydrochloric acid and nitric acid.Differential pulse polarography and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry allow the simultaneous determination of different heavy metals in one digestion solution according to their electrochemical behaviour. This possibility is given, for instance, for zinc, cadmium, lead and copper. The adequate procedure was tested with a microprocessor-controlled polarograph. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used as reference method.

---

Bestimmung von Zink, Cadmium, Blei und Kupfer in Böden und Klärschlämmen durch mikroprozessorgesteuerte Voltammetrie im Vergleich mit der Atomabsorptionsspektrometrie