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- Title
Rapid Mercury Analysis for the Field: Method Development and Application to Natural Gas Utility Sites.
- Authors
Boylan, Helen M.; Richter, Robert C.; Kingston, H. M. `Skip'; Ricotta, Angela
- Abstract
A new technique based on traditional concepts has been developed for rapid, on-site analysis of mercury in environmental media. In this method, mercury is analyzed by integration of thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrometry (TDA-AAS). Sample preparation and analysis are essentially integrated into a single instrumental system; solid samples can be analyzed directly, without chemical pre-treatment, in an analysis time of approximately 5 minutes per sample. A wide range of standard reference material has been analyzed by TDA-AAS. Agreement with the certified values at the 95% confidence interval for all matrices tested validates this technique. Subsequent to validation, TDA-AAS has been used in a series of field studies in conjunction with remediation of mercury-contaminated soil at natural gas utility sites. Reasonable agreement has been demonstrated between TDA-AAS on-site results and laboratory results using conventional mercury analysis techniques. Independent laboratory confirmation of the field data is not required as TDA-AAS demonstrates lab-quality results on-site. This field technique has been shown to surpass traditional laboratory methods in terms of both precision and detection limits. A method for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Method 7473, has been developed and validated based on TDA-AAS methodology (US EPA, 1998).
- Subjects
UNITED States; MERCURY analysis; ENVIRONMENTAL protection; NATURAL gas; ENVIRONMENTAL engineering; ENVIRONMENTAL policy
- Publication
Water, Air & Soil Pollution, 2001, Vol 127, Issue 1-4, p255
- ISSN
0049-6979
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1023/A:1005223121931