Analysis of mercury-rich plants and mine tailings using the hydride-generation AAS method

Abstract

A hydride-generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method was developed for the analysis of total Hg in liquid matrices of mercury-rich plants and mine tailings samples. The detection limit for this method was as low as 11.4 ng/mL. The reproducibility of the mercury signals (in terms of relative standard deviation) was 4.6%. Accuracy of the method was verified by analyses of deionised water samples spiked with HgCl2 and HgNO3. Recovery values for total mercury ranged from 88.5 to 94.3% for both mercury species added. An external certified laboratory validated the analytical method with a maximum discrepancy of 15 %. Optimal analytical response of the equipment for Hg analysis of plant samples was achieved when the sample volume added to the reaction vessel was 0.25 mL.