9 th International Conference on Instrumental Methods of Analysis: Modern Trends and Applications, Kalamata, Greece, 20 - 24 September 2015, pp.303
Compounds of beryllium are very toxic. It can enter into human’s body and result in
cancer. The beryllium concentration in tap or surface water should not exceed a limit
0.2 µg L−1. However, average beryllium contents in most natural waters are by orders
of magnitude below this level in the ng L−1 range. Different techniques have been
used for the determination of beryllium. These include spectrophotometry,
spectrofluorimetry, atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma
atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry [1-
3]. However, due to matrix of the samples and low levels of this element, an efficient
separation and preconcentration method is required. In comparison with traditional
techniques, solid phase extraction offers several advantages. Recently, carbon based
nanomaterials have attracted the attention of scientific community due to their novel
properties like large surface area, long range of porosity, good thermal stability and
good mechanical strength. Graphene, the latest member of the carbon family is
believed to be one of the most interesting materials of this century. As the large
delocalized π-electron system of graphene can form strong π -stacking interaction
with the benzene ring [4].
In this study, tannic acid functionalised graphene aerogel (TFGA) was synthesized
and characterized. The TFGA was used for the first time as an effective adsorbent for
the preconcentration of the Be(II) ions in various samples prior to graphite furnace
atomic absorption detection. pH was found to be 6. The recovery values for Be(II)
were found to be ≥91% for 5000 mg L−1 Na(I), 7500 mg L−1 K(I), 7500 mg L−1
Mg(II) and 7500 mg L−1 Ca(II) ions. 3 min vortexing time was enough for both
adsorption and elution. 2 mL of 2.0 mol L−1 HCl was used for elution. The described
method was validated with certified reference materials (TMDA 70 lake water and
SPS-WW1 Batch111-Wastewater) and spiked real samples.