Environmental Indicators of Metal Pollution and Emission: An Experiment for the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

Abstract

This experiment enlightens students on the use of environmental indicators and inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES) and demonstrates the ability of these monitoring tools to measure metal deposition in environmental samples (both as a result of lab-simulated and real events). In this two-part study, the initial experiment is designed to simulate the metal pollutants that originate from sparklers (small-scale fireworks). Two environmental indicators, surface water and Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides ), are exposed to a lit sparkler in a closed container. The Spanish moss is subsequently microwave digested, and both samples are analyzed for 16 elements by ICP–AES. In part two, the metal content is analyzed in real samples taken from the environment (topsoil and surface water) surrounding the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch pads before and after a shuttle launch. Students learn several fundamental concepts including atomic spectroscopy, biomonitoring, microwave digestion, matrix interferences, matrix-matching, detection limits, and the standard additions method.