On-site mercury analyser employing enclosed quartz cell cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry and 3D printing...

The development of on-site Hg analysers is crucial for the rapid evaluation of Hg concentrations in environmental research. However, the fabrication of Hg analysers requires simplification of analytical procedures and device miniaturisation. Based on the above requirements, our research group previously investigated enclosed quartz cell cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (EQC-CV-AAS) as a base technique for an on-site Hg analyser. This study aimed to develop an on-site Hg analyser using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, building upon the previously established EQC-CV-AAS method. The developed Hg analyser enabled on-site Hg analysis by incorporating 3D printing with identified analytical conditions (reductant volume: 0.05 mL, sample volume: 0.6 mL, stabilisation time: 7.0 min). The developed method exhibited analytical performance with a limit of detection of 0.59 μg/L, limit of quantification of 1.80 μg/L, and relative standard deviation of 5.00 %. Furthermore, the analytical performance of the developed method complied with the World Health Organisation recommendation for Hg in drinking water (6.00 μg/L), as demonstrated by on-site spike recovery tests of environmental water samples (river water and seawater).