An Environmental Automatic Monitoring System for Heavy Metals

An automatic monitoring system was developed for simultaneous determination of trace zinc, cadmium, lead, copper, iron and arsenic in environmental aqueous media using electrochemical stripping voltammetry. The sensor was mercury-film silver-based electrode. With a potentiostat, several pumps and valves controlled by computer, the system realized in-situ real-time detection of the six heavy metal ions mentioned above without manual operation. Quantitative heavy metals analysis at parts-per-billion level was performed by standard addition method. One measurement can be completed in 20 min with only 10 ml sample.