On-site fuel electroanalysis: determination of lead, copper and mercury in fuel bioethanol by anodic stripping voltammetry using screen-printed gold electrodes.

The potential application of commercial screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGEs) for the trace determination of lead, copper, and mercury in fuel bioethanol is demonstrated. Samples were simply diluted in 0.067 mol L(-1) HCl solution prior to square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) measurements recorded with a portable potentiostat. The proposed method presented a low detection limit (<2 μg L(-1)) for a 240 s deposition time, linear range between 5 and 300 μg L(-1), and adequate recovery values (96-104%) for spiked samples. This analytical method shows great promise for on-site trace metal determination in fuel bioethanol once there is no requirement for sample treatment or electrode modification.