Slurry sampling for electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of chromium, nickel, lead and cadmium in sewage sludge

The slurry technique was applied for determination of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in sewage sludge by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The graphite furnace temperature programme was op timised. Suspensions prepared in a medium containing 0.5 and 5.0% (v/v) HNO 3 and 0.5 and 5.0 HNO3 with 0.5% (m/v) glycerol were introduced directly in to the furnace. The reliability of the procedure was proved by analysing ce rtified reference material CRM 144R sewage sludge. The contents of Cr, Ni, Pb and Cd in two sludge samples from Poland (Poznan area) ranged between 1. 2 and 7.2 mg kg(-1) for Cr; 4.5 and 44.9 mg kg(-1) for Ni; 0.93 and 103.1 m g kg(-1) for Pb and 0.28 and 1.65 mg kg(-1) for Cd. The detection limit was calculated as 0.087, 0.054, 0.068 and 0.005 mg kg(-1) for Cr, Ni, Pb and C d, respectively. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) measurements for the slurry sampling method was 2.7-4.5% CRM 144R) and 7.1-9.4% (sewage slud ge from Poland). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.