Microwave-assisted total digestion of sulphide ores for multi-element analysis

Determination of 27 metals in HISS-1, MESS-4 and PACS-3 marine sediment certified reference materials by the BCR sequential extraction

The BCR sequential extraction procedure developed by the European Community Bureau of Reference was applied to the three marine sediment certified reference materials (CRMs). These CRMs are designated as HISS-1, MESS-4, and PACS-3 and comprise respectively pristine, moderately-contaminated, and highly-contaminated sediments, respectively. The study aimed to provide values of extractable elements in reference materials of varied geological origin to support method development and quality control efforts. Concentrations of 27 elements extracted in the three sequential extraction steps and in the residue were determined. The extraction steps consisted of: Step 1 - acetic acid extraction (targeting the exchangeable, water- and acid-soluble fraction); Step 2 - hydroxylammonium chloride extraction (targeting the reducible fraction); and Step 3 - hydrogen peroxide extraction (targeting the oxidizable fraction). The results from two independent laboratories using the sequential extraction procedure for the 27 elements were combined using the DerSimonian-Laird method of analysis implemented in the NIST Consensus Builder software. The percent recovery (sum steps vs total metal content) of 27 elements ranged from 68% to 125% in HISS-1, 76%-119% in MESS-4, and 70%-125% in PACS-3, based on the certified values. The combined uncertainty (k = 2) was from 1% to 39% for HISS-1, 3%-45% for MESS-4, and 3%-21% for PACS-3. Comparing the three extraction steps, the uncertainty of Step 3 was the highest for all the three CRMs. The agglomerate sediments in MESS-4 resulted in high uncertainty when compared to HISS-1 and PACS-3. The method validation showed the BCR sequential extraction procedure can apply to other elements including As, Co, Li, Mn, and V.

Pyrolysis of poly(vinyl chloride) and-electric arc furnacedust mixtures

An investigation into the pyrolysis kinetics of PVC mixed with electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) was performed. Mixtures of both materials with varying PVC ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3) were prepared and pyrolyzed in a nitrogen atmosphere under dynamic heating conditions at different heating rates (5, 10, 30 and 50 °C/min). The pyrolysis process proceeded through two main decomposition steps; the first step involved the release of HCl which reacted with the metal oxides present in the dust, subsequently forming metal chlorides and water vapor. Benzene was also found to release as detected by TGA-MS. The remaining hydrocarbons in the polymer backbone decomposed further in the second step releasing further volatile hydrocarbons. Different models were used to fit the kinetic data namely the integral, the Van Krevelen, and Coats and Red fern methods. The presence of EAFD during PVC decomposition resulted in a considerable decrease in the activation energy of the reaction occurring during the first decomposition region. Furthermore, iron oxides were retained in the pyrolysis residue, whilst other valuable metals, including Zn and Pb, were converted to chlorides that are recoverable by leaching in water. It is believed that EAFD can be utilized as an active catalyst to produce energy gases such as propyneas evident from the TGA-MS.

Microwave treatment of electric arc furnace dust with PVC: dielectric characterization and pyrolysis-leaching

Microwave treatment of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was studied in this work. A comprehensive characterization of the dust as well as assessing the suitability of using the thermal de-chlorination of the common plastic (PVC) under inert atmosphere was carried out to assess the possibility of Zn and other heavy metals extraction (Pb and Cd) from EAFD. The dielectric and thermal properties of EAFD, PVC and their mixtures were measured. Once combined and heated the metal oxides present in the dust reacted with HCl released from PVC during thermal de-chlorination, forming metal chlorides which were subsequently recovered by leaching with water. It was found that zinc chloride could be almost completely recovered in the leaching stage, with the overall recovery of Zn reaching 97% when the EAFD:PVC ratio was 1:2. The investigation highlighted that franklinite, the most refractory mineral to leaching, was completely destroyed. The leaching residue was found to compose mainly of magnetite and hematite.

Comparison of USEPA digestion methods to heavy metals in soil samples

The use of appropriate analytical methods is of paramount importance for risk assessment and monitoring of potentially toxic metals in soils. In this sense, the objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two sample digestion methods, recommended by the Brazilian legislation for the management of contaminated areas (CONAMA 2009), aiming at the determination of environmentally available metal concentrations (USEPA 3050B, USEPA 3051A), as well as a total digestion method (USEPA 3052). Samples from 10 classes of soils were analyzed for Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Hg. The results showed that the USEPA method 3051A is more efficient than the USEPA method 3050B in the extraction of levels considered environmentally available of Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni. Besides providing a higher recovery of these elements, the method requires shorter digestion time, lower consumption of acids, and reduced risk of contamination. The USEPA method 3051A showed greater efficiency in Hg extraction in soils with higher clay content. Therefore, it is suitable for situations where a wide range of soils with different mineralogical characteristics are analyzed or in order to decrease the losses due to volatilization of the element in open systems.

Optimization of digestion parameters for analysing the total sulphur of mine tailings by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The oxidation of sulphidic mine tailings and consequent acid generation poses challenges for the environment. Accurate and precise analysis of sulphur content is necessary for impact assessment and management of mine tailings. Here, the authors aim at developing a rapid and easy digestion procedure, which may analyse and measure the total amount of sulphur in mine tailings by using inductively coupled plasma. For evaluating effects of several variables, the researchers used a univariate (analysis of variance (ANOVA)) strategy and considered factors such as composition of the acid mixture, heating time, and refluxing device to optimize the performance. To do the experiment, the researchers have used two certified reference materials (KZK-1 and RTS-2) and samples of tailings from Musselwhite mine. ANOVA result shows that heating time is the most influencing factor on acid digestion of the reference materials whereas in case of a digestion of tailings sample, hydrochloric acid proved to be the most significant parameter. Satisfactory results between the measured and referenced values are found for all experiments. It is found that the aqua regia (1 ml HNO(3) + 3 ml HCl) digestion of 0.1 g of samples after only 40 min of heating at 95°C produced fast, safe, and accurate analytical results with a recovery of 97% for the selected reference materials.

Comparative study on open system digestion and microwave assisted digestion methods for metal determination in shrimp sludge compost

The aim of this work was to evaluate two different digestion methods for the determination of the total concentration of metals (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Cd) in shrimp sludge compost. The compost made from shrimp aquaculture sludge co-composted with organic materials (peat, crushed bark and manure) was used as an organic growing medium for crop. Open system digestion and microwave assisted digestion procedures were employed in sample preparation. Various combinations and volumes of hydrofluoric, nitric and hydrochloric acids were evaluated for the efficiency of both methods. A certified reference material (CRM 146) was used in the comparison of these two digestion methods. The results revealed a good agreement between both procedures and the certified valued. The best recoveries were found in the range between 95% and 99% for microwave assisted digestion with a mixture of 2 ml of HF, 6 ml of HNO(3) and 2 ml of HCl. This procedure was recommended as the method for digestion the compost herein based on the recovery analysis and time taken.

Rapid and simultaneous determination of essential minerals and trace elements in human milk by improved flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) with microwave digestion

A method for the simultaneous and economical determination of many trace elements in human milk is developed. Two multi-element hollow cathode lamps (HCLs) were used instead of single-element HCLs to improve the sample throughput of flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). The microwave digestion of milk is optimized prior to detection, and the performance characteristics of the improved analysis method are identified. Clinical samples are detected by both FAAS and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for methodology evaluation. Results reveal that the proposed FAAS with multi-element HCLs could determine six essential minerals and trace elements within 15 min. This method provides a linear analytical range of 0.01-10 mg L(-1). For Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn, the limits of determination are 1.5, 3, 1.8, 2.2, 2.1, and 1.3 microg L(-1), respectively. The mean relative standard deviations (RSDs) of intra- and interassays are lower than 7%. Excellent operational characteristics of rapidity, simplicity, and economy make the proposed method a promising one for the quantification of trace elements in human milk in clinics of underdeveloped areas.

High irradiance laser ionization mass spectrometry for direct speciation of iron oxides

A novel method has been developed that allows the direct speciation analysis of iron oxides based on a modified laser ionization orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Time resolved mass spectra were acquired for the investigation of elemental ions and oxide ions generated by a laser ionization source. Speciation methodologies, including the identification of characteristic ions and the use of ion abundance ratios were evaluated for the differentiation of the oxides. The influence of operating parameters on the distribution of cluster ions was investigated, and their mechanism of formation discussed.