Identification of Heavy Metals in Some Water Sources in Khartoum State Using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Abstract

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an atomic emission spectroscopy that can analyze any sample successfully and can be applied to gas, liquid, and solid samples. It can provide nonintrusive, qualitative and quantitative measurement of elements in various test environments .Due to rapid industrial growth, environmental pollution has increased tremendously over the years especially with heavy metals. This study was set up to use LIBS technique to identify the heavy elements in some water sources in Khartoum State. Four water samples collected from different locations in Khartoum were irradiated by Q-switched Nd: YAG laser to produce its plasma. The emission spectra of the plasma were collected via optical fiber and analyzed using the data base of National Institute of Standard Technology. The analysis of the spectra showed considerable amounts of (Ni, As, Ru, Th, Zr, Tb, Eu, Li, Xe, K , He, Ne, Cs, Hg, Cr, Cu, Na, Ra and Ca) elements in addition to (Ni+1, As+1, Th+1, Th+2, Zr+1, Cs+1, Cs+2, Cr+1and Cr+2 ) ions. The analysis of the four water samples led to efficient detection of different heavy metals using LIBS technique.