Penicillium chrysogenum immobilised silica: flame atomic absorption spectrometric Pb determination in industrial effluent, sludge and food samples.

A solid phase extraction method based on the immobilisation of Penicillium chrysogenum on silica was developed for preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of Pb(II). The immobilised sorbent was packed in a column to optimise the conditions for its quantitative sorption and desorption. Various parameters such as pH, type of eluent, sample and eluent flow rate and influence of others ions were systematically studied. Pb(II) was quantitatively sorbed at pH 4.0 at a flow rate of 2.0 mL min and eluted with 10.0 mL of 1.0 M HCl at 0.2 mL min flow rate. The devised procedure applied for Pb determination in tap water, an industrial effluent and sludge sample, black tea, spinach leaves and green beans (canned food) was reproducible, with a relative standard deviation of 0.8%. The method was validated by a BCR 701 standard lake sediment sample. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for Pb(II) were 7.16 and 23.88 μg L, respectively, with an enrichment factor of 100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]