Evaluating the Performance of a Diffusive Gradient in Thin Film Embedded with Montmorillonite for the Determination of Labile Cd, Pb, Mn, and Zn in Natural River Water

Montmorillonite (MMT), a natural clay mineral with high ion-exchange capacity and trace metal adsorbability, has been demonstrated to be a suitable binding phase in the diffusive gradient in thin film (DGT) technique for the determination of labile trace metals in synthetic water samples. However, in situ working performance of DGT-MMT with natural river water has not yet been investigated. The present study examined the performance of a DGT containing montmorillonite (MMT) for the in situ isolation and determination of labile Cd, Pb, Mn, and Zn fractions in Lach Tray River water, North Vietnam. The repeatability and accuracy of the DGT-MMT probe were assessed on the basis of seven measurement replicates performed on Cd2+, Pb2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ standard solutions. Then, the DGT-MMT probes were deployed in Lach Tray River water at different sampling sites to determine the labile metal fractions present in river water. By comparing the total and dissolved metal concentrations in the river water, the distributions of the four tested trace metals were constructed. The proportions of the dissolved fractions of Cd, Pb, Mn, and Zn were 46.7–73.7%, 38.5–63.9%, 36.4–41.6%, and 49.8–67.7%, respectively. The results also showed that the high accuracy and reproducibility of the DGT-MMT data were comparable with measurements obtained by the commonly used DGT-Chelex-100 method. In comparison with the data obtained from anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), a traditional technique for the determination of non-in situ speciation of trace metals, labile metal concentrations measured by DGT-MMT were in similar ranges. These findings indicate that naturally available montmorillonite can be used as an alternative binding material in DGT probes for the in situ determination of labile metal concentrations in natural watercourses