Electrochemical System for Field Control of Hg2+ Concentration in Wastewater Samples

The paper presents the validation of an electrochemical procedure for on-site Hg2+
ions determination in wastewater samples using a modified carbon screen-printed electrode (SPE)
with a complexing polymeric film based on poly(2,2 0-(ethane-1,2-diylbis((2-(azulen-2-ylamino)-2-
oxoethyl)azanediyl))diacetic acid) (polyL). Using metal ions accumulation in an open circuit followed by anodic stripping voltammetry, the SPE-polyL electrode presents a linear range in the
range of 20 µg/L to 150 µg/L, with a limit of detection (LOD) = 6 µg/L, limit of quantification
(LOQ) = 20 µg/L, and average measurement uncertainty of 26% of mercury ions. The results obtained in situ and in the laboratory using the SPE-polyL modified electrode were compared with those
obtained by the atomic absorption spectrometry coupled with the cold vapor generation standardized
method, with the average values indicating excellent recovery yields.