title: Atomic-absorption spectrophotometric determination of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, tellurium, thallium and vanadium in sewage sludge.
abstract: Electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), by use of a graphite furnace, in conjunction with sample pretreatment by homogenization, was evaluated as a rapid method for the determination of bismuth, thallium and vanadium in sewage sludge. This method was compared with use of flame, electrothermal and hydride-generation (for bismuth) AAS in conjunction with conventional acid digestion and dry-ashing pretreatments and was found to be applicable to this type of sample. Comparisons were also made between flame and hydride-generation AAS in conjunction with an acid digestion pretreatment for the determination of antimony, arsenic and tellurium in sewage sludge. The hydride-generation technique was considered the better for waste-water samples because of its greater sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Engineering Laboratory, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BU, England.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kempton
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sterritt
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lester