An Investigation on Heavy Metals Bio-Sorption by Azolla filiculoides in the International Anzali Wetland

Sereshti, H.; Bakhtiari, S.; Toghyani, R.; Samadi, S.; Besharati-Seidani, T.; Mahmoodi, N.O.

doi:10.22059/ijer.2014.728

An Investigation on Heavy Metals Bio-Sorption by Azolla filiculoides in the International Anzali Wetland

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

H. Sereshti ¹

S. Bakhtiari ¹

R. Toghyani ¹

S. Samadi ¹

T. Besharati-Seidani ²

N.O. Mahmoodi ²

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, 41335-1914, Rasht, Iran

10.22059/ijer.2014.728

Abstract

The ultrasound assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) method followed by
inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used for preconcentration and
determination of bismuth (Bi), indium (In) and lead (Pb) in the plant Azolla filiculoides Lam. Calix [4] pyrrole was used as a chelating agent and tetrachloroethylene was selected as extraction solvent. The main parameters of the USAEME method were optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions were as follows: 130 μL for volume of extraction solvent, 4 min for sonication time, 6.75 (w/v %) for salt concentration, 890 mg/L for concentration of chelating agent and 7.5 for pH. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 1-1500 μg/L for Bi and In, and 1-1000 μg/L for Pb with the determination coefficients (R2) of 0.9983, 0.9974 and 0.9997, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) for Bi, In and Pb were 0.57, 0.76 and 0.84 μg/L, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, the method was successfully applied to the determination of Bi, In and Pb in Azolla filiculoides Lam. tissues in Anzali wetland and satisfactory relative recoveries (94–97%) were achieved.

Keywords

Heavy metals

Anzali Wetland

Azolla filiculoides

Experimental design

ICP-AES