APPLICATION NOTE

Digestion of Trace Metals in Paint Chips, Cadmium & Lead in Paint, and Lead in Powdered Paint

SUMMARY

The application note summarizes the digestion of 3 Paint Reference Materials, Trace Metals in Paint Chips, Cadmium & Lead in Paint and Lead in Powdered Paint using ColdBlock Digestion CB15S Technology.

Instrument:ColdBlock CB15S sample digester technology, chiller, ICP-OES, ICP-MS
Published:August 2022
Digestion Time:20 Minutes
Acid Used:HNO3 & HCl
Average ColdBlock Recovery vs. CRM:
  • 93% Cadmium
  • 97% Chromium
  • 102% Lead

METHODOLOGY

  1. Chiller temperature was set to -5 °C
  2. 0.5g of each sample was weighed and placed into a ColdBlock™ Digestion vessel
  3. 12ml HNO3 was added, and mixed with sample
  4. Sample was digested at 80% power for 10 minutes
  5. 4mL HCl was added, and sample was digested again at 80% power for 10 minutes
  6. Sample was cooled and bulked to 50mL using 2% HNO3 v/v

DISCUSSION

  • During the digestion, the samples started climbing up the test tube but fell back down once they hit the cooling zone
  • After 20 minutes the samples turned the same color corresponding to the original paint color and some solid material remains

From left to right : Cd & Pb in Paint, Trace Metals in Paint Chips & Lead in Powdered Paint after 20 minute digestion

Cd & Pb in Paint is a matrix reference material intended for QC verification and method development of contaminated surface coated painted items such as toys, furniture etc. Lead in Powdered Paint, SQC074 is a certified reference material intended for method development purposes. Trace Metals in Paint Chips is a certified material of contaminated paint chips sourced from an industrial blasting process.

Results

Trace Metals in Paint Chips – CRM013

Method:

0.5g

12mL HNO3 – Digest at 80% for 600 seconds – Add 4mL HCl and digest again for 600 seconds. Bulk to 50mL with 2% HNO3

Element

Certified Value mg/kg

ColdBlock A mg/kg

ColdBlock B mg/kg

ColdBlock C mg/kg

ColdBlock Average (mg/kg)

Stdev

%RSD

% Recovery

Cd

37.8

32

34.5

38.4

35.0

1.3

3.6%

93%

Cr

618

623

586

593

601

19

3.1%

97%

Pb

643

631

687

643

654

28

4.3%

102%

 

Cadmium & Lead in Paint

Method:

0.5g

12mL HNO3 – Digest at 80% for 600 seconds – Add 4mL HCl and digest again for 600 seconds. Bulk to 50mL with 2% HNO3

Element

Certified Value mg/kg

ColdBlock A mg/kg

ColdBlock B mg/kg

ColdBlock C mg/kg

ColdBlock Average mg/kg)

Stdev

% RSD

% Recovery

Cd

219.4

213.8

222.6

226.1

220.8

4.4

2.0%

101%

Pb

224.2

230.1

238.7

234.6

234.5

4.3

1.8%

105%

 

Lead in Powdered Paint – SQC074

Method:

0.5g

12mL HNO3 – Digest at 80% for 600 seconds – Add 4mL HCl and digest again for 600 seconds. Bulk to 50mL with 2% HNO3

Element

Certified Value mg/kg

ColdBlock A mg/kg

ColdBlock B mg/kg

ColdBlock C mg/kg

ColdBlock Average mg/kg)

Stdev

% RSD

% Recovery

Pb

1125

1119

1134

1075

1109

7.5

0.7%

99%

Click here to download the Application Note in PDF format.

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ColdBlock Technologies Inc.
4551 Zimmerman Ave
Niagara Falls, ON L2E 3M5
info@coldblock.ca.