PEFTEC - Abstract

Abstract Information :

The analysis of mercury in naphtha is crucial to the petrochemical industry due to mercury's tendency to poison several chemical refinement processes. This study uses a cost-effective and novel approach to determine mercury in naphtha samples using direct combustion, rather than costly syringe-based combustion systems or labor-intensive extraction methods for preparation of samples for traditional CVAA analysis. A primary goal of this study was the development of a modified system for mercury determination in naphtha capable of introducing the sample into a combustion furnace without a passive loss of mercury prior to analysis, as well as avoiding any unwanted behavior within the combustion system. Naphtha samples of 50 to 80 mg were added to a bed of ˜ 100 mg of diatomaceous earth in single nickel or quartz boat to mitigate the loss of mercury while samples waited for analysis. The boats were then introduced into the combustion furnace and the released mercury concentrated on a gold amalgamation trap. The trap was then heated to release the concentrated mercury, which was swiftly swept to the dual-cell atomic absorption detection system for determination. The Teledyne Leeman Labs direct combustion system with optional combustibles analysis kit was uniquely qualified to perform analysis of mercury in naphtha due to its diverse, programmable sample introduction settings, which provides the flexibility required for potentially problematic and/or highly combustible sample types. The statistical MDL realized from a set of seven samples, and using an optimized method, was 0.3 µg/L with a precision of 1.3 % RSD (N=5).