Mercury in Air, Water and Soils

For over 30 years P S Analytical (PSA) has been at the forefront of trace mercury (Hg) determinations for environmental, industrial and petrochemical samples. Understanding the fate and transportation of Hg in environmental matrices is vitally important and this requires accurate analytical measurements of total and speciated mercury.

Mercury enters the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources and cycles between land, air and water. When atmospheric mercury enters the water column it can be converted to methylmercury by microbial activity and subsequently bio-accumulated by fish and other aquatic species.

The toxicological effects of Hg have long been realised but it has only been recently that there has been an international effort to reduce emissions of Hg into the environment. The effective control and reduction of Hg emissions from industry is the ultimate aim and these efforts need to be accurately monitored.

PSA has analysers based on Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS) to determine mercury and the hydride forming elements in environmental samples. PSA also offers online Hg analysers to monitor the quantity of mercury emitted from industrial sources such as coal fired power stations, incinerators, crematoria, smelters, petrochemically produced water and chlor-alkali facilities.

Employing AFS as a means of detection has many advantages for mercury determinations. These include; sub ng L^-1 limits of detection, a linear response over several orders, and minimised interferences from other matrix components. PSA’s unique flow cell design, removing troublesome glass or quartz material, results in reduced carryover for faster throughput and less re-runs. Ease of use, reliability and robustness as well as very affordable running costs are hallmarks or the PSA brand.

The two cornerstones of PSA’s product range for mercury determinations are the Millennium Merlin and the Sir Galahad. The Sir Galahad is typically used for gaseous applications such as stack gas, natural gas and air, whilst the Millennium Merlin is used for liquid and solid samples.

Typical applications include environmental samples such as ground water, drinking water, food stuffs (e.g. milk, fish & tea), soils & sludges, biological samples (e.g. urine, blood and hair), industrial samples such as effluent, aluminium, zinc electrolytes, paper techniques An additional amalgamation step reduces the detection levels still further. The Millennium Merlin 1631 can run the same applications as the Millennium Merlin but is typically used for water samples where a detection limit below 0.05ppt is required.

Whether it’s in the supply of standard systems or producing specialised systems tailored to the user’s specific requirements, the results and sensitivity of our instrumentation has forged our place as company of choice in the field of analytical instrumentation.  With literally thousands of systems in the field today, and support networks in Europe, USA and SE Asia, PSA offers the ideal package of performance, reliability and support.