The Comparison of Microwave Single Extraction and Sequential Extraction Method for the Fractionation Analysis of Arsenic and Mercury in Saline Sodic Soil
The present study investigates the chemical partitioning of arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) in saline sodic soil samples (SS) from Jamshoro, Sindh Pakistan. The development of Microwave single extraction (MSE) technique based on the reagents used in the BCR three-step sequential extraction scheme (BCR-SES) for partitioning As and Hg in SS. Using CRM BCR-483 as a certified reference material and the standard addition method, the validity of the procedure was verified, the recovery was found between 96-104%. The data from the BCR-SES procedure for As and Hg were consistent with MSE when the same working parameters were used, to validate the BCR fraction. The Sequential extraction containing 1–3 steps (excluding hydrogen peroxide digestion in step 3) could be completed in 15–25 minutes by using sonication and microwave settings, whereas MSE required 60–120 seconds. Three different extractions showed total quantities of extractable As and Hg of 0.69-1.27 and 0.55-1.25 µg g-1, respectively. The suggested BCR single extraction techniques for As and Hg were determined to be accurate (measured as RSD %) from 5.08–9.11%.
