H. Wichmann et M. Bahadir, Determination of the noble metals platinum, rhodium, and palladium in airborne particles, FR ENV BULL, 10(1), 2001, pp. 106-108
The widespread use of catalysts in motor vehicles has led to considerable i
ncrease in platinum group elements (PGE: Pt, Rh, Pd) emitted into the envir
onment. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for information about a po
ssible accumulation of PGE in the environment, particularly in airborne dus
t particles. A new simple method to determine the PGE in airborne particles
is introduced. These particles are collected on glass fibre filters, preco
ncentrated according to the nickel sulphide fire assay (docimasy) method, w
hich includes the complete melting of the glass fibre filters in the reagen
t mixture. Measurement is carried out on an ICP-MS. Sampling close to a hig
hly frequented road in the city of Braunschweig, Germany, revealed the foll
owing PGE concentrations in [pg/Nm(3)]: Pt: 6.0/Pd: 33.9/Rh: 1.2.