CEM - Abstract

Abstract Information :

Tekran has joined with our research partners at the University of Toronto to produce a mercury-specific passive air sampler with highly accurate and precise measurements at the ppqv level (150 ppqv = 1.3 ng/m3). This sampler offers a low-cost alternative for fence line monitoring applications. Typical fence line monitoring instruments have significant upfront purchase costs as well as additional resources necessary to install, operate, and maintain the equipment. The mercury passive sampler uses a diffusive barrier to continually collect at a constant sampling rate and require no power and minimal to no infrastructure to deploy. The low cost passive sampler facilitates much wider spatial characterization of a given site than would be feasible for active monitors, making them an excellent fence line assessment tool for mercury. The mercury passive sampler uses a radial configuration to maximize uptake rates and has a sulfur-impregnated carbon core with very large Hg trapping capacity, providing deployment times from a few days to up to a year. In this presentation, we will highlight the sampling technology of the mercury passive sampler and summarize real-world studies where the mercury passive sampler has been deployed including: Wide-spread mapping in an urban environment with multiple point sources of mercury emissions, Study of seasonal variability around a mercury mine point emission source, Investigation of mercury levels around a geologically active volcanic point source, Studies of vertical mercury flux measurements withing a deciduous forest canopy, and Assessment of local and regional mercury sources using isotopic fractionation as a tool to investigate source attribution.