Determination of trace heavy metal ion Tl(I) in water by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using prussian blue dispersed on solid sepiolite

Weitao Liu; Lu Deng; Hao Li; Wencong Lin; Yingzhuo Yang; Linlin Zhang; Ruirui Zhu; Jun Zou; Hongyu Niu; Yeyao Wang; Chunyi Tong; Rilong Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127295

Determination of trace heavy metal ion Tl(I) in water by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using prussian blue dispersed on solid sepiolite

Talanta. 2024 Nov 26:284:127295. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127295. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Weitao Liu¹, Lu Deng², Hao Li³, Wencong Lin², Yingzhuo Yang², Linlin Zhang⁴, Ruirui Zhu⁵, Jun Zou², Hongyu Niu², Yeyao Wang⁶, Chunyi Tong², Rilong Zhu⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China. Electronic address: zczqwli@ucl.ac.uk.
² College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China.
³ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China; Hunan Provincial Ecological Environment Monitoring Center, Changsha, 410082, PR China.
⁴ China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100049, PR China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring and Forewarning of Trace Pollutants, Xian, 710006, Shanxi, PR China.
⁵ Hunan Provincial Ecological Environment Monitoring Center, Changsha, 410082, PR China.
⁶ China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100049, PR China.
⁷ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring and Forewarning of Trace Pollutants, Xian, 710006, Shanxi, PR China. Electronic address: zrlden@hnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39603019
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127295

Abstract

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) offers the advantage of performing measurements without damaging or consuming the sample, enabling rapid and simultaneous multi-element analysis. It has been widely applied in environmental monitoring, materials science, geology, and medicine, but not in water. Here, a novel method is proposed that combines energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF) with prussian blue dispersed on solid sepiolite nanomaterials (PB/SEP) and an integrated enrichment-separation device to detect trace heavy metal ion Tl(I) in water environments. The water sample passes through the detachable enrichment component, and subsequently, PB/SEP is used as a solid adsorbent for the pre-enrichment of Tl(I) in the water sample. This process eliminates the cumbersome separation steps and saves analysis time. The research elucidates the impact of sample pH, flow rate, volume, and interfering ions on elemental recoveries, demonstrating that the proposed method offers a low detection limit of 0.057 μg/L, but also maintains high precision, with the RSD of less than 4.39 %. Furthermore, the PB/SEP magnetic nanocomposite was successfully applied to the tap water sample and river water sample with recoveries ranging from 93.5 % to 128.3 %, confirming the accuracy and practicality of the analytical method.

Keywords: Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry; Pre-enrichment; Prussian blue/sepiolite; Tl(I); Water analysis.