scholarly journals A smart nanofibrous material for adsorbing and detecting elemental mercury in air

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 6883-6893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Macagnano ◽  
Viviana Perri ◽  
Emiliano Zampetti ◽  
Andrea Bearzotti ◽  
Fabrizio De Cesare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Nanoparticles ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Hybrid Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Air Sampling ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Environmental Applications ◽  
Gaseous Elemental Mercury

Abstract. The combination of the affinity of gold for mercury and nanosized frameworks has allowed for the design and fabrication of novel kinds of sensors with promising sensing features for environmental applications. Specifically, conductive sensors based on composite nanofibrous electrospun layers of titania easily decorated with gold nanoparticles were developed to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials capable of entrapping and revealing gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) traces from the environment. The electrical properties of the resulting chemosensors were measured. A few minutes of air sampling were sufficient to detect the concentration of mercury in the air, ranging between 20 and 100 ppb, without using traps or gas carriers (LOD: 1.5 ppb). Longer measurements allowed the sensor to detect lower concentrations of GEM. The resulting chemosensors are expected to be low cost and very stable (due to the peculiar structure), requiring low power, low maintenance, and simple equipment.

scholarly journals A smart nanofibrous material for adsorbing and real-time detecting elemental mercury in air

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Macagnano ◽  
Viviana Perri ◽  
Emiliano Zampetti ◽  
Andrea Bearzotti ◽  
Fabrizio De Cesare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Nanoparticles ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Hybrid Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Air Sampling ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Environmental Applications

Abstract. The combination of gold affinity for mercury with nanosized frameworks has allowed to design and fabricate novel kinds of sensors with promising sensing features for environmental applications. Specifically, conductive sensors based on composite nanofibrous electrospun layers of titania easily decorated with gold nanoparticles were developed to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials, capable of entrapping and revealing GEM traces from environment. The electrical properties of the resulting chemosensors were measured. Few minutes of air sampling were sufficient to detect the concentration of mercury in the air, in the range between 20–100 ppb, without using traps or gas carriers (LOD ~ 1.5 ppb). Longer measurements allowed the sensor to detect lower concentrations of GEM. The resulting chemosensors are expected to be low-cost, very stable (due to the peculiar structure), and requiring low power, low maintenance and simple equipment to work.

scholarly journals A New Low-Cost and Reliable Method to Evaluate the Release of Hg0 from Synthetic Materials

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1282
Author(s):  
Marta Lazzaroni ◽  
Barbara Nisi ◽  
Daniele Rappuoli ◽  
Jacopo Cabassi ◽  
Orlando Vaselli
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Blocking Agent ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Concrete Wall ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Mining Site ◽  
Gaseous Elemental Mercury ◽  
Synthetic Materials

Mercury is a toxic and noxious element and is the only metal that naturally occurs as gas. One of the most challenging topics (included in the United Nations Minimata convention) is to understand the adsorption–release processes of manmade materials (e.g., concrete, bricks, tiles, painting). Adsorption of Hg by construction and demolition waste materials has recently been studied, but investigations on how much Hg0 can be released from these products are rather poor. The abandoned mining site of Abbadia San Salvatore (Siena, central Italy) where, for about one century, cinnabar was roasted to produce liquid mercury, is known for the high concentrations of (i) Hg0 in edifices and structures and (ii) total and leachate Hg in synthetic materials. In the present paper, a new, simple and low-cost method to measure the amount of GEM (Gaseous Elemental Mercury) released from anthropic materials (concrete, wall rocks, and tiles) located in the Hg0-rich environments of the former mining site, is proposed. The efficiency of a specific paint that was supposed to act as blocking agent to Hg0 was also tested.

Isotopic Characterization of Atmospheric Gaseous Elemental Mercury by Passive Air Sampling

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (17) ◽  
pp. 10533-10543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Szponar ◽  
David S. McLagan ◽  
Robert J Kaplan ◽  
Carl P. J. Mitchell ◽  
Frank Wania ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Sampling ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Passive Air Sampling ◽  
Gaseous Elemental Mercury ◽  
Isotopic Characterization

scholarly journals Passive Sampling of Gaseous Elemental Mercury Based on a Composite TiO2NP/AuNP Layer

Nanomaterials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Macagnano ◽  
Paolo Papa ◽  
Joshua Avossa ◽  
Viviana Perri ◽  
Marcello Marelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Passive Sampling ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Blue Shift ◽  
Mercury Vapor ◽  
Titania Nanoparticles ◽  
Sampling System ◽  
Gaseous Elemental Mercury ◽  
Low Cost Strategy

Passive sampling systems (PASs) are a low cost strategy to quantify Hg levels in air over both different environmental locations and time periods of few hours to weeks/months. For this reason, novel nanostructured materials have been designed and developed. They consist of an adsorbent layer made of titania nanoparticles (TiO2NPs, ≤25 nm diameter) finely decorated with gold nanoparticles. The TiO2NPs functionalization occurred for the photocatalytic properties of titania-anatase when UV-irradiated in an aqueous solution containing HAuCl4. The resulting nanostructured suspension was deposited by drop-casting on a thin quartz slices, dried and then incorporated into a common axial sampler to be investigated as a potential PAS device. The morphological characteristics of the sample were studied by High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Optical Microscopy. UV-Vis spectra showed a blue shift of the membrane when exposed to Hg0 vapors. The adsorbed mercury was thermally desorbed for a few minutes, and then quantified by a mercury vapor analyzer. Such a sampling system reported an efficiency of adsorption that was equal to ≈95%. Temperature and relative humidity only mildly affected the membrane performances. These structures seem to be promising candidates for mercury samplers, due to both the strong affinity of gold with Hg, and the wide adsorbing surface.

scholarly journals Air Concentrations of Gaseous Elemental Mercury and Vegetation–Air Fluxes within Saltmarshes of the Tagus Estuary, Portugal

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Rute Cesário ◽  
Nelson J. O’Driscoll ◽  
Sara Justino ◽  
Claire E. Wilson ◽  
Carlos E. Monteiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Tagus Estuary ◽  
Contaminated Site ◽  
Gaseous Elemental Mercury ◽  
Mercury Flux ◽  
Sarcocornia Fruticosa ◽  
Air Concentrations

In situ air concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0)) and vegetation–atmosphere fluxes were quantified in both high (Cala Norte, CN) and low-to-moderate (Alcochete, ALC) Hg-contaminated saltmarsh areas of the Tagus estuary colonized by plant species Halimione portulacoides (Hp) and Sarcocornia fruticosa (Sf). Atmospheric Hg(0) ranged between 1.08–18.15 ng m−3 in CN and 1.18–3.53 ng m−3 in ALC. In CN, most of the high Hg(0) levels occurred during nighttime, while the opposite was observed at ALC, suggesting that photoreduction was not driving the air Hg(0) concentrations at the contaminated site. Vegetation–air Hg(0) fluxes were low in ALC and ranged from −0.76 to 1.52 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Hp and from −0.40 to 1.28 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Sf. In CN, higher Hg fluxes were observed for both plants, ranging from −9.90 to 15.45 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Hp and from −8.93 to 12.58 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Sf. Mercury flux results at CN were considered less reliable due to large and fast variations in the ambient air concentrations of Hg(0), which may have been influenced by emissions from the nearby chlor-alkali plant, or historical contamination. Improved experimental setup, the influence of high local Hg concentrations and the seasonal activity of the plants must be considered when assessing vegetation–air Hg(0) fluxes in Hg-contaminated areas.

scholarly journals An Integrated Investigation of Atmospheric Gaseous Elemental Mercury Transport and Dispersion Around a Chlor-Alkali Plant in the Ossola Valley (Italian Central Alps)

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Laura Fantozzi ◽  
Nicoletta Guerrieri ◽  
Giovanni Manca ◽  
Arianna Orrù ◽  
Laura Marziali
Keyword(s):  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Dispersion Pattern ◽  
Central Alps ◽  
Gaseous Elemental Mercury ◽  
Mercury Transport ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Hg Accumulation

We present the first assessment of atmospheric pollution by mercury (Hg) in an industrialized area located in the Ossola Valley (Italian Central Alps), in close proximity to the Toce River. The study area suffers from a level of Hg contamination due to a Hg cell chlor-alkali plant operating from 1915 to the end of 2017. We measured gaseous elemental Hg (GEM) levels by means of a portable Hg analyzer during car surveys between autumn 2018 and summer 2020. Moreover, we assessed the long-term dispersion pattern of atmospheric Hg by analyzing the total Hg concentration in samples of lichens collected in the Ossola Valley. High values of GEM concentrations (1112 ng m−3) up to three orders of magnitude higher than the typical terrestrial background concentration in the northern hemisphere were measured in the proximity of the chlor-alkali plant. Hg concentrations in lichens ranged from 142 ng g−1 at sampling sites located north of the chlor-alkali plant to 624 ng g−1 in lichens collected south of the chlor-alkali plant. A north-south gradient of Hg accumulation in lichens along the Ossola Valley channel was observed, highlighting that the area located south of the chlor-alkali plant is more exposed to the dispersion of Hg emitted into the atmosphere from the industrial site. Long-term studies on Hg emission and dispersion in the Ossola Valley are needed to better assess potential impact on ecosystems and human health.

scholarly journals Low-Cost Organic Adsorbents for Elemental Mercury Removal from Lignite Flue Gas

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2174
Author(s):  
Marta Marczak-Grzesik ◽  
Stanisław Budzyń ◽  
Barbara Tora ◽  
Szymon Szufa ◽  
Krzysztof Kogut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flue Gas ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Elemental Mercury ◽  
Mercury Content ◽  
Flue Gases ◽  
Mercury Removal ◽  
Gas Purification ◽  
Gas Temperature ◽  
Corn Straw ◽  
Flue Gas Purification

The research presented by the authors in this paper focused on understanding the behavior of mercury during coal combustion and flue gas purification operations. The goal was to determine the flue gas temperature on the mercury emissions limits for the combustion of lignites in the energy sector. The authors examined the process of sorption of mercury from flue gases using fine-grained organic materials. The main objectives of this study were to recommend a low-cost organic adsorbent such as coke dust (CD), corn straw char (CS-400), brominated corn straw char (CS-400-Br), rubber char (RC-600) or granulated rubber char (GRC-600) to efficiently substitute expensive dust-sized activated carbon. The study covered combustion of lignite from a Polish field. The experiment was conducted at temperatures reflecting conditions inside a flue gas purification installation. One of the tested sorbents—tire-derived rubber char that was obtained by pyrolysis—exhibited good potential for Hg0 into Hg2+ oxidation, resulting in enhanced mercury removal from the flue. The char characterization increased elevated bromine content (mercury oxidizing agent) in comparison to the other selected adsorbents. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests of mercury sorption from the flue gases at temperatures of 95, 125, 155 and 185 °C. The average mercury content in Polish lignite was 465 μg·kg−1. The concentration of mercury in flue gases emitted into the atmosphere was 17.8 µg·m−3. The study analyzed five low-cost sorbents with the average achieved efficiency of mercury removal from 18.3% to 96.1% for lignite combustion depending on the flue gas temperature.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document