An Environmentally Compatible and Less Costly (Greener) Microwave Digestion Method of Bone Samples Using Dilute...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Conventional methods for bone meal digestion often use large volumes of concentrated acids.
• This poses environmental and safety concerns, necessitating greener alternatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize an environmentally friendly and cost-effective microwave-assisted analytical method for bone meal digestion.
• To compare the performance and greenness of the new method against conventional techniques.

Main Methods:

• Microwave-assisted digestion of bone meal samples using a dilute nitric acid (HNO3) mixture (1 mL concentrated HNO3 + 4 mL deionized water).
• Validation using certified reference material NIST 1486 (Bone Meal).
• Evaluation of method greenness using the analytical Eco-Scale.

Main Results:

• The developed method demonstrated comparable performance to conventional digestion methods.
• Percentage recoveries for eight certified elements were within ±15% of certified values.
• The method achieved an Eco-Scale score of 87, classifying it as an 'excellent green analysis'.

Conclusions:

• The developed dilute nitric acid microwave-assisted method is a viable, greener alternative for bone meal digestion.
• This approach reduces environmental impact and safety risks associated with concentrated acids in trace element analysis.