Simultaneous Determination of Halogens and Metals in Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

A major barrier to integrating pyrolysis-derived oil into conventional refinery technology is the presence of impurities, particularly halogens and metals, that can deactivate catalysts. This study presents a novel, cost-effective approach for the simultaneous analysis of a subset of halogens, metals, nonmetals, and metalloids in complex, industrially relevant distilled pyrolysis oil samples, this was previously achievable only through multiple techniques. Excellent results were obtained using a widely accessible inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method with helium gas mode and standard laboratory consumables, enabling high-throughput analysis and efficient evaluation of adsorbent performance. Sample preparation is straightforward, requiring only dilution in a compatible matrix, and provides accurate and precise quantification, with 75%-137% spike recovery for Be, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, Tl, and Pb, and 62%-65% spike recovery for Cl and 109%-133% spike recovery for Br. Additionally, an enhanced version of the method using ICP-MS/MS and hydrogen gas is described, which has higher accuracy with 69%-112% spike recovery for Be, B, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, Tl, and Pb, with 85%-102% spike recovery for Cl and 63%-93% spike recovery for Br. Helium mode detection limits for industrially relevant elements (V, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, and Pb) are less than 1.7 µg/kg, and less than 0.2 mg/kg for Br and Cl. This methodology facilitates rapid systematic evaluation of adsorption capacities of materials under time-on-stream conditions and supports robust comparisons across diverse operating environments.