Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for determination of trace metals in aqueous solution using bamboo charcoal as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent

Bamboo charcoal, a renewable material with special microporous and biological characteristics, has been widely used to remove heavy metals from liquid solution due to its excellent adsorption properties. In this paper, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been performed to detect trace metal elements (Pb) in aqueous solution by using bamboo charcoal as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent. With this method, the liquid analysis was transformed to solid surface analysis which could overcome the sensitivity drawbacks in liquid sample analysis. The calibration curve was constructed by using the standard solution with variable concentrations and the limit of detection (LOD) was estimated for Pb. The influence of adsorption capacity of bamboo charcoal on the calibration curve was discussed. Finally this system has also been used for quantitative analysis of wastewater. Then the results were compared with ICP-AES and showed a good correlation.