Simultaneous Enrichment and On-line Detection of Low-Concentration Copper, Cobalt, and Nickel Ions in Water by...

Sensitive detection of heavy metal ions in water is of great importance considering the effects that heavy metals have on public health. A developed fluidized bed enrichment technique was used to concentrate and detect low concentrations of Cu2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ in water samples by near-IR diffuse reflectance (NIDR) spectroscopy (NIDRS) directly without using any chemicals or reagents. The NIDR spectra of adsorbent were measured on-line, and quantitative detection was achieved by applying a built partial least-squares chemometric model. Sensitivity and accuracy was improved significantly because large-volume mixture solutions were used in the enrichment process. Root mean square error of cross-validation values for Cu2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ were 0.29, 0.41, and 0.35 μg/mL, respectively, with mean relative error values in the acceptable range of 6.56-10.27%. This study confirms the potential application of fluidized bed enrichment combined with NIDRS and chemometrics for the simultaneous detection of trace heavy metal ions in water, with low relative error.