Feasibility of calcium alginate beads to preconcentrate lead in river water samples prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Lead (Pb) is a potentially toxic element with significant environmental interest. Simple and sensitive analytical methods are necessary to allow determination of this element at trace levels using sample preparation procedures related to green chemistry. For this, calcium alginate beads (CA-beads), a low-cost and environmentally friendly biopolymer, have been proposed for extraction and preconcentration of Pb 2+ in river water samples and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). CA-beads were prepared and applied to extract and preconcentrate Pb 2+ in river water samples, providing an enrichment factor ( EF ) of 50, enhancement factor ( E ) of 54, a detection limit of 2 μg L −1 , and a relative standard deviation