Abstract
As one of the most widely used techniques for concentration determination of trace elements in coal, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has also been used in several studies for the determination of mercury concentration in coal. ICP-MS after closed-vessel microwave digestion and a Milestone DMA-80 are employed in this study to determine the mercury concentration in coal. Three NIST standard references of coal samples were selected as references to verify the accuracy of the test results. The Au rinse solution (200 μg/L, 5% HNO3) can diminish mercury memory effects to a blank level within 80 seconds. The results showed that ICP-MS can accurately determine the mercury content in mercury standard solutions, but the mercury concentration in most NIST samples after microwave digestion is lower than the detection level of the ICP-MS. The inaccuracy may be due to volatilization of mercury during solid sample digestion process. By contrast, the determined concentrations in NIST samples by the Milestone DMA-80 are very close to the verified values. Therefore, ICP-MS is not recommended to analyze mercury in coal after digestion even in a closed-vessel digestion system, but the mercury direct analyzer (without digestion) is recommended to analyze mercury in coal.
Highlights
Mercury is a toxic element that can cause serious environmental and human health problems when it is released into the atmosphere
We describe a rinse solution optimized to minimize the mercury memory effect in the shortest possible time, and subsequently, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, after closed-vessel microwave digestion, is used to check if this technique can be used to determine mercury concentrations in coal
A ermo Fisher inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (X Series II) was used to determine the mercury concentrations in coal samples. e coal samples were digested by using an UltraClave microwave high-pressure reactor (Milestone) prior to ICP-MS analysis. e UltraClave microwave system digests samples by high temperature and high pressure, which can greatly reduce the time required for sample digestion and avoid cross-contamination between samples [55, 56]
Summary
Mercury is a toxic element that can cause serious environmental and human health problems when it is released into the atmosphere. 30% of mercury released into the atmosphere each year is from anthropogenic sources, such as mining, burning of fossil fuels, and intentional use of Mercury [1]. Mercury occurs in rocks and soils in the earth’s crust [1, 4], accounting for about 10% of mercury emissions from natural geological sources. Released mercury accumulated in surface soils and oceans, most of which was rereleased due to human activities, and this rereleased mercury accounts for the remaining 60% [1]. Humans and wildlife can be exposed to this mercury, and, if it reaches a certain level, it will cause harm to their health. High levels of methylmercury in the human body can harm the nervous system and other organ systems [7]. erefore, the emission of mercury must be taken seriously
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