Speciation of selenium and organotin compounds in sewage sludge applied to land

Abstract

Many studies have been devoted to the fate of heavy metals in waste water treatment plants and their impact on the environment. Some elements, such as selenium and tin, have more complex chemical properties. They can form organic compounds, be metabolized and transformed. Their behaviour in sewage treatment works is still almost unknown, although norms exist on due to their potential high toxicity for living organisms. Our study concerns natural samples from French representative sewage treatment plants. The analytical methods developed for the speciation of Se (phase and species speciation) and Sn (species speciation) in that kind of medium have been checked by the use of two different analytical techniques and certified samples from the BCR. © 1998 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.