Preprint Article Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Detection of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil Samples from North Birmingham, Alabama

Version 1 : Received: 8 August 2024 / Approved: 9 August 2024 / Online: 9 August 2024 (17:02:10 CEST)

How to cite: Adhikari, N.; Martyshkin, D.; Fedorov, V.; Das, D.; Antony, V.; Mirov, S. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Detection of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil Samples from North Birmingham, Alabama. Preprints 2024, 2024080686. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0686.v1 Adhikari, N.; Martyshkin, D.; Fedorov, V.; Das, D.; Antony, V.; Mirov, S. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Detection of Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil Samples from North Birmingham, Alabama. Preprints 2024, 2024080686. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0686.v1

Abstract

High levels of heavy metal contamination in soil present substantial threats to human health and the environment, leading to severe health problems such as neurotoxicity, cancer, kidney issues, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduced life expectancy. This research aims to identify and analyze heavy metals in soil samples collected from Superfund sites in North Birmingham, Alabama, specifically in affected areas with Zip codes 35207, 35217, and control area 35214. These affected areas were previously used for mining, coal-fired power plants, coke furnaces, smelting, and other potential sources of heavy metal pollution. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was employed to study 60 soil samples systematically collected from affected and control areas. We found that using LIBS, we could detect arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn) in all soil samples from the affected areas. The limit of detection (LoD) was 16 ppm for Pb, 43 ppm for As, and 33 ppm for Mn using specific parameters of the detection system and/or argon gas purging at atmospheric pressure. The results were compared with ICP-MS measurements to validate the accuracy of the LIBS findings. Data showed a good linearity for all calibration data at relatively low concentrations and a good correlation between ICP-MS measurements.

Keywords

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS); Soil; Heavy metals (HM)

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.