Determination of Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb in plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with collision–reaction interface technology

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 190; no. 1; pp. 833 - 839
• Main Authors: Santos, Mirian C., Nóbrega, Joaquim A., Cadore, Solange
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15.06.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Cadmium; Cadmium - analysis; Chromium; Chromium - analysis; Collision-reaction interface; detection limit; Electronic equipment; Electronic Waste - analysis; electronic wastes; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; hydrogen; Inductively coupled mass spectrometry; ions; Isotopes; lead; Lead (metal); Lead - analysis; mass spectrometry; Mass Spectrometry - instrumentation; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Mercury; Mercury - analysis; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Plastics; Plastics - analysis; Plastics - chemistry; Pollution; Polymers; Technology; Toxic elements; Wastes; Inductively coupled mass spectrometry; Collision-reaction interface; Plastics; Toxic elements; Electronic equipment; Inductively coupled plasma; ICP mass spectroscopy; Collision; Lead; Mass spectrometry; Interface
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.04.004

► New procedures for determination of Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb in WEEE are required considering both recent legislation and instrumentation. ► It is shown here how an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer with a collision-reaction interface can be used for this analytical task. ► Experimental conditions for microwave-assisted sample digestion followed by ICP-MS measurements are fully described and discussed. A procedure based on the use of a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer equipped with a collision-reaction interface (CRI) for control of spectral overlap interferences was developed for simultaneous determination of Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb in plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The injection of H 2 and He (80 and 60 mL min −1, respectively) into the sampled plasma, colliding and reacting with potentially interfering polyatomic ions, allows interference-free determination of chromium via its isotopes 52Cr and 53Cr that are freed from overlap due to the occurrence of 40Ar 12C +, 40Ar 12C 1H +, 36S 16O + or 1H 36S 16O +. Cadmium, Hg and Pb were directly determined via their isotopes 110Cd, 111Cd, 112Cd, 199Hg, 200Hg, 201Hg, 202Hg, 206Pb, 207Pb, and 208Pb, without using CRI. The CRI can be quickly activated or deactivated before each analyte measurement. Limits of detection for 52Cr were 0.04 or 0.14 μg L −1 with He or H 2 injected in CRI. Cadmium and Pb have LODs between 0.02 and 0.08 μg L −1 and Hg had 0.93–0.98 μg L −1, without using CRI. Analyte concentrations for samples varied from 16 to 43, 1 to 11, 4 to 12, and 5 to 13 mg kg −1 for Cr, Cd, Hg and Pb, respectively.