Applications of biosorbents in atomic spectrometry

Biosorbents have been widely used in analytical chemistry, mainly for analyte preconcentration, separation, and chemical speciation. Biosorption encompasses materials with and without biological activity, including vegetal materials (e.g., plant leaves, seeds, and fruit bagasses), algae, and microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, and yeast) used as naturally found or after a suitable treatment or immobilization. Retention of the analyte may involve ion exchange, complex formation, or physical adsorption. Biosorbents are inexpensive, sometimes reusable or recyclable, and an alternative to the synthetic materials without hindering analytical performance. On the other hand, seasonal variability of composition and the required pretreatments can be critical drawbacks. This review critically evaluates the analytical performance of biosorbents coupled to different atomic spectrometric techniques, including batch and flow-based procedures.