Preconcentration of ultratrace rare earth elements in seawater with 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized polyacrylonitrile hollow fiber membrane for determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

8-Hydroxyquinoline immobilized on polyacrylonitrile hollow fiber membrane was synthesized and used for the preconcentration of rare earth elements (REEs) and the separation of the matrix in seawater prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Both the capacity and chemical stability of the modified polyacrylonitrile hollow fiber membrane have been evaluated. The optimum experimental conditions, such as pH, sample flow rate, volume of eluents, were investigated. The concentration of REEs in seawater and the separation of the matrix components can be achieved with a concentration factor of at least 300 times. The recommended method has been applied for the concentration and determination of REEs in coastal seawater. Results indicated that the recovery of REEs ranged from 91% to 107%, and the relative standard deviations were found to be less than 5%. A comparison was made between the REE levels determined by this method and the literature reports, and a reasonable agreement was obtained.