Rapid and robust analytical method for the determination of copper content in commercial pesticides and antifouling biocides

Abstract

Abstract The quality control of the agrochemicals and biocidal products in the market requires valid determination methods for the active ingredient content and is of utmost interest to ensure environmental protection, human health, and successful pest control. Copper has been used as fungicide for centuries and today is still in the market in hundreds of products for various uses and is applied in very high application rates, both in pesticides and biocides. A new analytical method has been developed and is proposed as it fast, efficient, and economical for the determination of copper content in antifouling Product Type 21 (PT-21) biocidal products as well as in copper containing pesticides. The samples were oxidized by microwave-assisted acid digestion method and the concentration of copper was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry technique. The method performance presented high recoveries, low relative standard deviation, and sufficient Limit of Quantification (LOQ) for the scope of the present analysis. As a result, it is concluded that the method is easily applicable and transferable, with reasonable consumption of reagents, characterized by reliability and sensitivity; therefore, it is suitable for monitoring the levels of copper in antifouling products as well as pesticides containing copper as active substance. The recoveries of the method ranged from 87.9% to 97.6% for antifouling paints and 98.6% to 99.95% for pesticides, while the percentage Relative Standard Deviation (%RSD) was lower than 6% in all cases. The validated method Limit of Quantification (LOQ) was 5 μg ml-1 that was sufficient for the present analysis needs. As a result, it is concluded that the method is easy, with reasonable consumption of reagents, characterized by reliability and sensitivity; therefore, it is suitable for monitoring the levels of copper in antifouling products as well as pesticides containing copper as active substance.