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Updated: Nov 28, 2025

An Ultra-clean Multilayer Apparatus for Collecting Size Fractionated Marine Plankton and Suspended Particles
Published on: April 19, 2018
Tessier sequential extraction on 17 elements from three marine sediment certified reference materials (HISS-1,
Paramee Kumkrong1, Ovi Mihai2, Patrick H J Mercier2
1National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada. paramee.kumkrong@nrc-crnc.gc.ca.
Abstract:
The four-step Tessier sequential extraction procedure is a well-known approach used for environmental and geochemical studies in soil and sediments. However, a lack of reference materials limits its use making implementation and quality control cumbersome. This study applied Tessier sequential extraction to three globally used marine sediment certified reference materials (CRMs) including HISS-1, MESS-4, and PACS-3 with varying levels of contamination. The study analyzed the distribution of 17 elements throughout the extraction phases. Overall, the percent recovery (sum of steps vs total metal concentration) of all analyzed elements in Tessier extraction was 92% + 40% in HISS-1, 101% + 12% in MESS-4, and 102% + 10% in PACS-3. The observed uncertainty of the individual elemental concentrations averaged at 13%, which compares favorably with the 16% target uncertainty derived from the Horwitz equation. The reference data set produced here using the Tessier sequential extraction procedure will serve as a quality control and method development tool for laboratories. Graphical abstract.

