Determination of manganese and lead in roadside soil samples by FAAS with ultrasound assisted leaching

An Ultrasonic Leaching Method (ULM) was developed for the analysis of manganese and lead on roadside soil samples in order to assess the pollution from motor vehicle exhaust. The variations in analyte recoveries by sonication periods were investigated and optimum recovery conditions were determined. The leachates of the soil samples, Mn and Pb, were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The recoveries of ULM were tested by comparing the results with those of the conventional extraction method (CE) for Mn and Pb. With regard to the dissolution process, higher recoveries were obtained using ULM than with CE in a relatively shorter time. The precision of the method was found to be 1.9-3.7% for Pb and 4.6-8.4% for Mn (n = 4), as the average in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD%) depended on the analyte element concentrations and the nature of the samples. Using the ULM-FAAS method, significant results were obtained for Mn and Ph as vehicle exhaust pollutants. The pollution factors (PFs) obtained for Mn and Pb correlated mainly with vehicle exhaust emissions in different parts of Sivas and partly with some specific environmental conditions.