Aqua Regia Digestion for Trace Metals Recovery from Soil and Water

Metals are regulated because they have the potential to harm human health and the environment. Unlike organic chemicals, metals are not degradable and have a greater tendency to accumulate. According to Environmental Protection Agency metals and metalloids of primary interest are: Silver (Ag), Aluminium (Al), Arsenic (As), Boron (B), Barium (Ba), Beryllium (Be), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Mercury (Hg), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Antimony (Sb), Selenium (Se), Strontium (Sr), Tin (Sn), Thallium (Tl) and Vanadium (V).

The presented application for trace metals recovery using the Digestion Unit K-435 in combination with the Trace Metal Accessory shows good recoveries for both, spiked water (96-105%) and soil (93-104%) and low relative standard deviations. A check with reference material clearly showed the applicability and comparability of the method.

For Free Access to the full article in PDF format click here