Water is the essential part of every organism and it is also a vital constituent of healthy living and diet. Unfortunately water contamination over the past decade has increased dramatically leading to various diseases. As technology advances, we are detecting many pollutants at smaller levels of concentrations. Arsenic (As) is one of those major pollutants, and Arsenic poisoning is a condition caused due to excess levels of arsenic in the body. The main basis for Arsenic poisoning is from ground water which naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic. A case study from 2007 states that over 137 million people in 70 countries were affected by arsenic poisoning from drinking water [1]. This thesis work is motivated by this study and investigates the fabrication, characterization, and testing of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage nanofiber membranes formed using a mucilage, polystyrene (PS) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) solution by an electrospinning process. Cactus mucilage is a jelly-like substance, which is extracted from the cactus pad, and is an inexpensive, biodegradable and biocompatible material. It is also an abundant material available in nature. Polystyrene is a synthetic aromatic polymer prepared from monomer styrene. Polystyrene is further dissolved using D-Limonene as a solvent. D-Limonene is a non-toxic solvent and is a citrus extract of orange peelings. In an effort to enhance adsorption capacity for the mucilage nanofiber membranes, iron oxide nanopowder is incorporated into the polymeric solution. A mucilage and polystyrene-iron oxide solution is mixed in different ratios and electrospun to obtain nanofibers. The fibers will be characterized by certain techniques such as Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, viscosity and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The fibers obtained from mucilage and PS-Fe2O3 will be further tested under Atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) for testing the removal of arsenic from water. Also, a life cycle analysis (LCA) is conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts of the fabrication of the membranes by using SimaPro® software.

Speciation analysis of arsenic based on selective hydride generation and detection by atomic fluorescence spectrometry have been studied in this work. It was found that under optimum conditions of atomization in the flame in gas shield atomizer, sensitivity was approximately twice higher and detection limit was about four times lower compared to miniature diffusion flame, which is a standard atomizer for atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The conditions to generate hydrides from both inorganic forms of the arsenic, i.e. from arsenite and arsenate, with the same efficiency have been found in the batch arrangement, by using 1 mol dm-3 hydrochlorid acid and 1% solution of tetrahydridoborate. To determine only trivalent form, TRIS buffer at pH 6.00 was used together with 1% sodium tetrahydridoborate. The detection limits found for inorganic arsenic, i.e. for arsenite and arsenate, respectively, were 15 ng dm-3 and 9 ng dm-3 . It was found that in the batch arrangement under these conditions it is possible to generate corresponding hydrides methylarsonate and dimethylarsonate with the same efficiency as from the inorganic form. Finally, it was found when slightly changing the gas-liquid separator design in order to introduce the mixture of tetrahydridoborate with hydrochloric acid to the bottom of the...

(EN) The presented dissertation is devoted to hydride generation from arsenic species and its application for speciation analysis based on atomic fluorescence detection. Hydride generation from toxicologically relevant arsenic species was optimized in order to achieve a 100% efficiency. The resulted experimental setup was subsequently used for speciation analysis of arsenic in human urine by high performance liquid chromatography with detection by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The accuracy of the developed method was verified by comparative analyses of human urine samples collected from five individuals with an independent reference method. The cleavage of As-C bond during the reaction of methylated arsenic species with tetrahydridoborate(1-) (THB) in acidic media was studied in detail. Pronounced demethylation of methylated arsenic species was found during the reaction of THB with HCl, H2SO4, and HClO4 while hydride generation from CH3COOH or TRIS buffer after prereduction with L- cysteine resulted in the exclusive formation of the corresponding hydrides. Firstly, this phenomenon can endanger the accuracy of arsenic speciation which is based on hydride generation of substituted arsanes. Secondly, the more complex arsenic species can be converted to the hydride. That was demonstrated on hydride...

The aim of this master's thesis has been to develop and optimize the method of UV- photochemical vapor generation of cadmium volatile compounds for atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Two configurations with different materials wrapped around the low-pressure mercury vapor lamp were tested. I experimentally determined optimal conditions for both systems; the optimalized parametres included selection of photochemical reagent and its concentration, flow rate of liquids and gases, and the lenghth of the reaction coil. After finding the optimal parametres I determined the figures of merit of the method. I found from the measured data that UV-photoreactor with the quartz capillary provided lower limits of detection and thus was more suitable for generation of cadmium volatile compounds. With this arrangement and using the ferrous sulphate heptahydrate as the chemical modifier I obtained limit of detection 2,0 µg·l-1 , limit of determination 7,0 µg·l-1 , linear dynamic rate LOD-50 µg·l-1 and repeatibility 0,35 %. I also carried out the interference study in my thesis and determined the generation effeciency of cadmium volatile compounds. The interference study shows the influence of mineral acids (HCl, H2SO4, HNO3), their salts (NaNO2, NaNO3) and transition metals (Co, Ni, Cu). Based on literature review I also...

Methods were developed for the determination of methylmercury in natural waters and sediments based on steam distillation and aqueous phase ethylation followed by gas chromatography-atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The methods were shown to be free from measurable artefactual methylation of inorganic mercury and offered improved sample throughput over existing methods. Improvements were made to existing methods for the determination of total mercury in biota, sediments and natural waters and dissolved mercury species in natural waters. These methods were applied to the study of mercury cycling in two remote field sites. The cycling of mercury species was studied in Lake Murray in Western Province, Papua New Guinea, which has been historically noted as a region of high mercury concentrations in fish. Concentrations of methylmercury and total mercury in the water column were found to be variable and consistent with non-contaminated lake systems. Concentrations of methylmercury and total mercury in the sediments were also found to be low, except for in the south of the lake, which was influenced by an intermittent supply of water and sediments with elevated mercury concentrations from the Strickland River. Methylmercury concentrations in the sediments were generally higher in the backwater areas due to littoral processes. The low concentrations of methylmercury in the sediments and waters were inconsistent with other systems previously studied in the northern hemisphere, showing a link between high mercury concentrations in fish and high concentrations of methylmercury in waters or sediments. Therefore, the biota of Lake Murray were studied in order to account for the differences between this and other systems. A study was conducted of the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in biota from Lake Murray to elucidate key food-web interactions. This study revealed that the dominant carbon source for fish in the lake is plankton, although algae and macrophytes may also be involved in the food-web. The methylmercury bioaccumulation factors between trophic levels were similar to those measured in temperate systems of the northern hemisphere. The high concentrations of methylmercury, observed in piscivorous fish, were shown to be a consequence of the complex food-web and the number of trophic levels in the food-chains. The cycling of mercury species was studied in Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder in southwest Tasmania, which has recently been identified as being in a region of high mercury concentrations in trout and eels. The concentrations of total mercury were found to be reasonably uniform in the waters of both lakes, spatially and temporally. The concentrations of methylmercury in the waters were seasonally variable, and were consistently lower in Lake Pedder than in Lake Gordon. Dilution of methylmercury concentrations by precipitation direct to the lake surface, probably accounts for the most of the difference in methylmercury concentrations between the lakes. Owing to the long residence time of water in Lake Gordon, this reservoir mixes inputs of water with varying methylmercury concentrations. Concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury in submerged soils were low and depth profiles of mercury species in the water column did not show evidence of a gradient of mercury concentrations due to releases from the sediments. The concentrations of methylmercury observed in the water column are consistent with the concentrations observed in the fish. A budget of the mercury inputs and outputs to Lake Gordon showed that in-lake processes and sources in the catchment areas both contributed significantly to the concentrations of methylmercury in the lake. The methylation of mercury in Lake Gordon appeared to mainly occur in the surface waters (< 10 m) and was not consistent with processes leading to the methylation of mercury at the oxic/anoxic boundary observed in seepage lakes in Wisconsin. The concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury in bogs in the catchment areas of Lakes Gordon and Pedder, were high and governed by the concentration of organic matter in the sediments. The processes involved in the supply of mercury species from the Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder catchments appear to be similar to those in drainage lakes in the temperate and boreal regions of the northern hemisphere. The formation of the Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder reservoirs appears to have had little impact on the mean annual concentrations of methylmercury released to the downstream environment.

The master thesis deals with comparison of atomic fluorescence spektrometry and high resolution continuum source atomic absorption spektrometry for three methods generation of volatile compounds Antimony. In both methods of atomic antimony detection, it compares the most common chemical generation of volatile compounds (hydrides) with two alternative methods - electrochemical and UV - photochemical. The values of performance parameters for the determination of Sb(III) and Sb(V) were determined for all the above combinations. In the case of chemical generation, a surprisingly almost four times higher limit of detection of Sb(III) was found in connection with AFS detection than AAS detection. The final part was devoted to UV - photochemical vapor generation, with AAS detection for Sb(III) reaching limit of detection 4,96 ppb, for Sb(V) 8,63 ppb. Although UV - photochemical generation of volatile antimony compounds did not reach such performance parameters as chemical or electrochemical generation, it was observed that the sensitivity of antimony determination increased greatly when introducing oxygen into the apparatus. The interference study also found a significant positive effect of Fe(II) on the generation efficiency, and this modification partially persisted without further introduction of these...

Neste projeto foram abordados procedimentos analíticos para extração, separação e identificação de espécies de arsênio encontradas normalmente em quantidades de traços e ultra-traços em amostras biológicas e ambientais. Entre as amostras alvo deste estudo, teve-se alimentos de origem marinha como por exemplo camarão. Foi avaliada a estabilidade das espécies de arsênio nas soluções geradas pelos processos de extração. Para separação das espécies inorgânicas (arsenito e arsenato), metiladas (ácidos mono e dimetil arsênio) e orgânicas (arsenobetaina) empregaram-se as técnicas eletroforese capilar (CE) e cromatografia líquida (LC). Os sistemas de separação para a determinação das espécies de arsênio foram acoplados com os espectrômetros massas (ICP-MS), e de fluorescência atômica (AFS). Os sistemas acoplados apresentaram resolução e sensibilidade na determinação das espécies de arsênio nas amostras estudadas neste trabalho. A extração com água de espécies de As utilizando-se banho de ultra-som apresentou eficiência acima de 78%. A estabilidade das espécies nas soluções padrão e nos extratos das amostras foi mantida por um período de até uma semana quando armazenadas em geladeira (+4°C). Visando uma política de química limpa, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia para evitar desperdiço preparando micro-volumes de amostras e soluções padrão, para especiação de arsênio por eletroforese capilar. Para tal se empregou um injetor seqüencial, também foi desenvolvido um dispositivo de injeção hidrodinâmica para eletroforese capilar. Além disto, as soluções residuais geradas durante a pesquisa analítica foram tratadas para a recuperação de arsênio e boro. A extração no ponto nuvem foi empregada para recuperar As entanto que a precipitação por mineralização hidrotérmica foi aplicada para a recuperação de B . A aplicação deste procedimento resultou na extração de 80% de arsênio e 75% de boro. Isto, permitiu converter grandes volumes de resíduos líquidos perigosos em um pequeno volume de resíduos sólidos / Analytical procedures for extraction, separation and identification of arsenic species at ultra-trace levels in biological and environmental samples were investigated. Stability studies of arsenic species in sample extracts and standard solutions were carried out. Separation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic and dimethylarsinic acids and also arsenobetaine were carried out by capillary electrophoresis or liquid chromatography. Determination of the separated arsenic species was accomplished by coupling the separation techniques to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Satisfactory resolution and sensibility were achieved by the coupled systems described. Extraction efficiency better than78% were achieved with water in an ultrasonic bath at the laboratory temperature (23-27°C). Whereas, stability of species in solutions stored in refrigerator at +4°C was efficient for aperiod up to one week. Micro-volumes of standards and sample solutions mixed in a sequential injector were prepared for arsenic speciation by capillary electrophoresis, aiming green chemistry. A time controlled micro-volume injector device for hydrodinamic injections was also developed. Finally, waste solutions from arsenic speciation analysis in a system with hydride generation were treated for arsenic and boron removal. Cloud point extraction for recovery of arsenic and hydrothermal mineralization of boron by calcium hydroxide were employed. Satisfactory removal of 80% of arsenic and 75% of boron from waste solution was achieved. These procedures allowed to reduce volumes of hazardous waste solutions

Neste projeto foram abordados procedimentos analíticos para extração, separação e identificação de espécies de arsênio encontradas normalmente em quantidades de traços e ultra-traços em amostras biológicas e ambientais. Entre as amostras alvo deste estudo, teve-se alimentos de origem marinha como por exemplo camarão. Foi avaliada a estabilidade das espécies de arsênio nas soluções geradas pelos processos de extração. Para separação das espécies inorgânicas (arsenito e arsenato), metiladas (ácidos mono e dimetil arsênio) e orgânicas (arsenobetaina) empregaram-se as técnicas eletroforese capilar (CE) e cromatografia líquida (LC). Os sistemas de separação para a determinação das espécies de arsênio foram acoplados com os espectrômetros massas (ICP-MS), e de fluorescência atômica (AFS). Os sistemas acoplados apresentaram resolução e sensibilidade na determinação das espécies de arsênio nas amostras estudadas neste trabalho. A extração com água de espécies de As utilizando-se banho de ultra-som apresentou eficiência acima de 78%. A estabilidade das espécies nas soluções padrão e nos extratos das amostras foi mantida por um período de até uma semana quando armazenadas em geladeira (+4°C). Visando uma política de química limpa, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia para evitar desperdiço preparando micro-volumes de amostras e soluções padrão, para especiação de arsênio por eletroforese capilar. Para tal se empregou um injetor seqüencial, também foi desenvolvido um dispositivo de injeção hidrodinâmica para eletroforese capilar. Além disto, as soluções residuais geradas durante a pesquisa analítica foram tratadas para a recuperação de arsênio e boro. A extração no ponto nuvem foi empregada para recuperar As entanto que a precipitação por mineralização hidrotérmica foi aplicada para a recuperação de B . A aplicação deste procedimento resultou na extração de 80% de arsênio e 75% de boro. Isto, permitiu converter grandes volumes de resíduos líquidos perigosos em um pequeno volume de resíduos sólidos / Analytical procedures for extraction, separation and identification of arsenic species at ultra-trace levels in biological and environmental samples were investigated. Stability studies of arsenic species in sample extracts and standard solutions were carried out. Separation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic and dimethylarsinic acids and also arsenobetaine were carried out by capillary electrophoresis or liquid chromatography. Determination of the separated arsenic species was accomplished by coupling the separation techniques to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Satisfactory resolution and sensibility were achieved by the coupled systems described. Extraction efficiency better than78% were achieved with water in an ultrasonic bath at the laboratory temperature (23-27°C). Whereas, stability of species in solutions stored in refrigerator at +4°C was efficient for aperiod up to one week. Micro-volumes of standards and sample solutions mixed in a sequential injector were prepared for arsenic speciation by capillary electrophoresis, aiming green chemistry. A time controlled micro-volume injector device for hydrodinamic injections was also developed. Finally, waste solutions from arsenic speciation analysis in a system with hydride generation were treated for arsenic and boron removal. Cloud point extraction for recovery of arsenic and hydrothermal mineralization of boron by calcium hydroxide were employed. Satisfactory removal of 80% of arsenic and 75% of boron from waste solution was achieved. These procedures allowed to reduce volumes of hazardous waste solutions

The diploma thesis is dealing with monitoring of arsenic in foodstuffs. The aim of this thesis is the determination of arsenic in samples of fish and rice and the study of forms, in which arsenic occurs, using speciation analysis. Arsenic is known as a toxic element, but its measure of toxicity depends on the chemical form it occurs in. Arsenic is present in the environment naturally or it gets in the environment by human activities. Complete characterization of arsenic compounds is necessary to understand intake, accumulation, transport, detoxification and activation of this element in the natural environment and living systems. The field of arsenic speciation analysis has grown rapidly in recent years, because determination of the total element content is not sufficient in the case of arsenic. Speciation method was done using separation by high performance liquid chromatography and detection by atomic fluorescence spectrometry with hydride generation. Extractable arsenic was present in the form of nontoxic arsenobetaine in all analysed samples of fish. In samples of rice there was confirmed the presence of toxic inorganic species of arsenic, esspecially As (III), but their concentration was at low level.

The aim of the theses was determination of selenium species in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultivated in medium with added inorganic form of selenium (Sodium Selenite). Concentrations of Sodium Selenite in cultivation medium were 0,1; 1; 10 and 100 mg.l-1. Cultivation was undertaken in fermenting tub for period of 72 hours. Cultivated yeasts were extracted by use of enzymes and subsequently the species of selenium in particular parts of yeasts were determined. In order to determine selenium species, the method of high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with atomic fluorescent spectrometer and technique of hydride generation was used. Having analysed different fractions of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae it was ascertained that during cultivation the sorption of selenium occurred in form of Se4+ in cell membranes while in cytoplasm no inorganic forms of selenium were found. Furthermore, it was stated that yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae are able to metabolically change inorganic forms of selenium to organic forms (selenomethionine), while these forms are present in cytoplasm and they are likely to be bound to proteinic structures of cell membranes. An increase of concentration of Se4+ in cell membranes could be observed as a result of increasing concentration of Sodium Selenite in cultivation medium. In proteinic structures the concentration of organic selenium forms increased only to concentration 10 mg.l-1 of Sodium Selenite in cultivation medium.