Bentonite Modified Carbon Paste Electrode as a Selective Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Cadmium and Lead in Aqueous Solution

This work describes the use of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with a Bentonite clay (Maghnite) as an electrochemical non-pollutant, selective and low cost sensor for Cadmium and Lead detection in aqueous solution. The physico-chemical properties of the clay mineral were analysed by X-Ray Fluorescence analysis (XRF), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and N-2 adsorption isotherm. The square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) has been used in which the different electrochemical parameters have been studied. The optimal preconcentration pH and Maghnite-CPE content were found to be 3.4 and 14% w/w respectively. Under these optimized conditions and at a preconcentration time of 5 min, the response of the electrode was linear with analytes concentration in the ranges from 1 to 30 mu mol/L for Cadmium and 0.1 to 30 mu mol/L for Lead with limit of detection (LOD) values of 0.16 mu mol/L and 0.30 mu mol/L for Cadmium and Lead respectively.