Determination of Zinc, Cadmium, Lead and Copper Contents in Surface Water Using 4330 Voltammetric Polarograph
Heavy metal pollution in surface water poses serious threats to ecological environment safety and human health. Accurate, rapid and low-cost detection of trace heavy metals is essential for surface water environmental monitoring and water quality risk assessment. Traditional detection methods for heavy metals such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry have shortcomings including complicated pre-treatment, high instrument cost and inability to realize simultaneous multi-element detection, which limit their on-site and batch detection applications.
This study adopts a 4330 voltammetric polarograph equipped with a standard three-electrode system, including a mercury working electrode, Ag/AgCl reference electrode (saturated KCl filling solution) and platinum counter electrode, to simultaneously determine the contents of four typical heavy metals (zinc, cadmium, lead and copper) in surface water. The adsorption stripping voltammetry method is applied for sample testing, which features simple pre-treatment, high sensitivity and low detection limit.
Experimental results verify that the established detection method exhibits excellent analytical performance for surface water samples. It can effectively eliminate the mutual interference of coexisting metal ions, achieve stable and accurate quantitative detection of trace zinc, cadmium, lead and copper in surface water, and boasts good repeatability and recovery rate. Compared with traditional analytical methods, this voltammetric polarography detection technology significantly reduces detection cost and improves detection efficiency, providing a reliable and efficient technical means for routine monitoring and rapid early warning of heavy metal pollution in surface water.