Publications
Following publications have been announced by our department Inorganic Environmental Chemistry. For further information please contact the marked author resp. co-author of the publications:
Wippermann, D., Klein, O., Wolschke, H., Zimmermann, T., Ebeling, A., & Pröfrock, D. (2025): Accessing the Past: A Sediment Core Revealing Anthropogenic Impacts of Technology-Critical Elements on the Marine Environment. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, doi:10.1007/s00244-024-01110-9
Abstract:
One group of elements attracting more and more attention are so-called technology-critical elements (TCEs). In comparison with legacy pollutants, the anthropogenic impact of TCEs on the environment might still be minor, but various applications introduce them to the most remote places in the world including the marine environment. One area prone to pollution is the Baltic Sea, partly due to the lack of water exchange with the North Sea. In this study, a sediment core from the German Baltic Sea was used to analyze a total of 42 elemental mass fractions. Based on radiometric dating of 210Pb and 137Cs, results were classified in a recent (2020–2000) and a past period (< 1920), calculating background concentrations based on the Median + 2 Median Absolute Deviation (M2MAD) and the Tukey Inner Fence (TIF). Six legacy pollutants (Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb) and six TCEs (Ga, Ge, Nb, La, Gd, Ta) are discussed in detail. Anthropogenic impacts of both groups were assessed, and local enrichment factors were calculated showing an increase for the legacy pollutants (past period (≤ 0.8); recent period (≥ 1.2)), but also a minor increase for Ga, Ge and Nb (past period (0.9); recent period (1.1)). Values ≥ 1.5, indicating anthropogenic impact, were found for Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb, but also for Ge. Proposed background values may be considered as baseline for future studies.
Lancaster, S.T., Sahlin, E., Oelze, M., Ostermann, M., Vogl, J., Laperche, V., Touze, S., Ghestem, J.-P., Dalencourt, C., Gendre, R., Stammeier, J., Klein, O., Pröfrock. D., Košarac, G., Jotanovic, A., Bergamaschi, L., Di Luzio, M., D’Agostino, G., Jaćimović, R., Eberhard, M., Feiner, L., Trimmel, S., Rachetti, A., Sara-Aho, T., Roethke, A., Michaliszyn, L., Pramann, A., Rienitz, O., & Irrgeher, J. (2024): Evaluation of X-ray fluorescence for analysing critical elements in three electronic waste matrices: A comprehensive comparison of analytical techniques. Waste Management, Vol 190, pp 496-505, doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2024.10.015
Abstract:
As the drive towards recycling electronic waste increases, demand for rapid and reliable analytical methodology to analyse the metal content of the waste is increasing, e.g. to assess the value of the waste and to decide the correct recycling routes. Here, we comprehensively assess the suitability of different x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF)-based techniques as rapid analytical tools for the determination of critical raw materials, such as Al, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Nb, Pd and Au, in three electronic waste matrices: printed circuit boards (PCB), light emitting diodes (LED), and lithium (Li)-ion batteries. As validated reference methods and materials to establish metrological traceability are lacking, several laboratories measured test samples of each matrix using XRF as well as other independent complementary techniques (instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ICP optical emission spectrometry (OES)) as an inter-laboratory comparison (ILC). Results highlighted key aspects of sample preparation, limits of detection, and spectral interferences that affect the reliability of XRF, while additionally highlighting that XRF can provide more reliable data for certain elements compared to digestion-based approaches followed by ICP-MS analysis (e.g. group 4 and 5 metals). A clear distinction was observed in data processing methodologies for wavelength dispersive XRF, highlighting that considering the metals present as elements (rather than oxides) induces overestimations of the mass fractions when compared to other techniques. Eventually, the effect of sample particle size was studied and indicated that smaller particle size (<200 µm) is essential for reliable determinations.
