Simple and Accurate Method for Routine Analysis of Heavy Metals in Soil, Plant, and Fertilizer

• Published in: Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 2014-01, Vol.45 (16), p.2201-2206
• Main Authors: Shirisha, K, Sahrawat, Kanwar L, Devi, B. Prathibha, Wani, Suhas P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Fertilizers; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heavy metal content; heavy metals; Heavy-metal contamination; microwave treatment; microwave-assisted digestion; Natural resources; organic fertilizers; recovery of trace metals; sediments; sewage sludge; single-step digestion method; soil; Soil and water pollution; Soil science; Soil sciences; spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1532-2416; 0010-3624; 1532-2416; 1532-4133
• DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2014.911303

With environmental issues relating to heavy-metal contamination of natural resources becoming of increasing concern, there is an obvious need to have a method that can be used for routine analysis of a range of materials including soil, sediment, sewage sludge, plant, mineral and organic fertilizers, and other miscellaneous materials for heavy metals of concern. A single-step microwave digestion method was developed using aqua regia solution for digestion of finely ground samples for determining 15 heavy metals in soil, plant, and fertilizer materials using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results on the recoveries of 15 heavy metals added via certified standard reference sample to soil, plant, or fertilizer samples showed that the results varied with the metal and the substrate, and with few exceptions, the results were satisfactory. The method is simple, rapid, and accurate and seems ideal for the routine analyses of a range of materials. Using microwave-assisted digestion, an analyst can perform more than 100 analyses in a working day.