Alumina/nano-graphite composite as a new nanosorbent for the selective adsorption, preconcentration, and determination of chromium in water samples by EDXRF

Obtaining new nanocomposites with sorption properties towards chromium is highly important not only from the environmental point of view but also for developing eco-friendly methods of chromium determination. The potential use of aluminum oxide-coated nano-graphite (Al2O3/nano-G) as a new nanosorbent in ultrasound-assisted dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction (DMSPE) for rapid speciation of trace chromium(III) and chromium(VI) ions in natural water was evaluated. In the developed method, the crucial issue is the new nanocomposite synthesized by coating alumina on a nano-graphite surface with sorption properties. Structural researches of the nanocomposite were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. Maximum adsorption capacity of Al2O3/nano-G towards Cr(III) was 32.8 mg g−1. The influence of the method’s factors like pH, sample volumes, contact time, coexisting ions, and humic acid on the recovery of chromium was examined. The nanocomposites have been found to be stable and effective as a sorbent in water with high concentrations of selected cations and anions present in water as well as in water of various pH. Al2O3/nano-G is selective for Cr(III) in presence of Cr(VI). Cr(III) was determined by the developed method, total Cr after reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), and Cr(VI) was calculated as the difference between total Cr and Cr(III). After sorption, the nanocomposite with chromium was collected on 5-mm diameter filters and analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) to determine the chromium concentration. The method was characterized by correlation coefficient 0.999, limit of detection (LOD) 0.04 ng mL−1, and relative standard deviation (RSD) 3.5%. Al2O3/nano-G combined with proposed DMSPE/EDXRF was verified by analysis of certificate reference material of natural water (NIST 1640a). Graphical abstractᅟ