Improvement of Instrumentation and Methodology for Collection and Analysis of Mercury.

摘要

A collection device for the sampling of atmospheric mercury in its three forms,was miniaturized and streamlined and methods for the recovery and analysis of the collected mercury were simplified. The device consists of a two-section canister assembly which fits inside a standard Hi-Vol sampler underneath the support screen for the particulate filter. While particulate mercury is collected in the usual manner on glass fiber filter,mercury vapors are trapped on specific absorbants, i.e. elemental mercury on silver-impregnated alumina in the upper canister section and combined mercury vapors on charcoal in the lower section. Procedures have been developed and tested for the recovery and analysis of elemental mercury,dimethyl mercury and mercury-bearing particulates. These methods use standard laboratory instrumentation including an induction combustion furnace and an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.