Determination of Boron, Phosphorus, and Molybdenum Content in Biosludge Samples by Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (MP-AES)

A novel analytical method for accurate determination of boron (B), phosphorous (P), and molybdenum (Mo) content in biosludge samples based on a relatively recent analytical technique, microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES), is developed in the present work. Microwave assisted acid digestion method is utilized to extract B, P, and Mo from biosludge. To demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the present MP-AES method, its results are compared with those obtained using two well-established techniques, i.e., flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Matrix variation in the MP-AES technique is found to result in minimal changes. Precision and accuracy of the developed method are demonstrated using replicate analyses of certified sewage sludge reference material, EnviroMAT (BE-1). The limit of quantification and detection of B, P, and Mo in the extracts are determined; the linear regression coefficient was greater than 0.998 for all the three techniques. Analytical wavelengths are selected according to the sensitivity and interference effects. The results obtained in this work demonstrate the potential of MP-AES technique for the determination of B, P, and Mo content in biosludge, which achieved lower detection limits, higher accuracy, and better reproducibility as compared to other techniques.