Efficient lead preconcentration using two chemically functionalized carbon nanotubes in hyphenated flow...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Lead contamination in water poses significant health risks.
• Accurate and rapid detection methods for lead are crucial for environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate hyphenated flow injection-solid phase extraction-flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-SPE-FAAS) systems.
• To preconcentrate lead (Pb(II)) from industrially contaminated water samples using functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two types of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes: oxidized and m-phenylenediamine.
• Optimized chemical and hydrodynamic parameters for Pb(II) sorption and desorption.
• Investigated the impact of common interfering ions on lead determination.

Main Results:

• Achieved high preconcentration factors (> 70) and low detection limits (≤ 1.5 µg L⁻¹).
• Demonstrated excellent precision with relative standard deviations (≤ 1.3%).
• Validated the method using real-world contaminated water samples and NIST standard reference material.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FI-SPE-FAAS methods are effective for rapid and accurate lead determination in environmental water samples.
• Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes show promise for lead preconcentration.
• The validated methods provide reliable results for water quality assessment.