A solid-phase extraction system was proposed for the determination of aluminum after preconcentration with glycerol-bonded silica gel. The method is rapid and efficient for the enrichment of aluminum ions at trace levels. Optimal sorption conditions were found for sorption and desorption of aluminum ions. The effects of diverse ions on the sorption and recovery of aluminum have been studied and it was shown that the selectivity of the sorption process was very good. A very satisfactory preconcentration factor of 500 was achieved by this method. The lowest concentration of aluminum ions for quantitative recovery was 2 ng ml(-1). The capacity of sorbent was 400 mu g per gram of sorbent. The method showed good reproducibility (R.S.D. = 2.2% for n = 7) and was applied to the determination of aluminum in mineral water, hair and green tea samples. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.