Acid-rain monitoring in East Asia with a portable-type ion-exclusion-cation-exchange chromatographic analyzer

A monitoring system consisting of a portable-type conductimetric ion-exclus ion-cation-exchange chromatographic (CEC) analyzer and a meteorological sat ellite data analyzer has been investigated for the evaluation of the effect s of acid precipitation on natural and urban environments in East Asia. The portable ion-exclusion-CEC analyzer uses a polymethacrylate-based weakly a cidic cation-exchange resin column in the Hi-form and a weak-acid eluent (t artaric acid-methanol-water) and is applied for the simultaneous determinat ion of anions (SO42-, NO3-, and Cl-) and cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+) in precipitation transported from mainland China to central Japan, as mapped by the meteorological satellite data analyzer. Linear calibration g raphs of peak area versus concentration for anions and cations were observe d in the concentration range 0-1.0 mM for the anions and 0-0.5 mM for the c ations. Detection limits at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were in the range 5.18-12.1 ppb for the anions and 6.58-16.5 ppb for the cations. The practic al utility of this monitoring system is presented. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.