Sample Digestion and Drying Techniques for Optimal Recovery of Mercury from Soils and Sediments
Abstract
Mercury in soils and sediments can be accurately determined over the concentration range of 0.04 to 2 micrograms Hg/g using amalgamation on thin gold films. Relative standard deviation of analysis is about 10%. A mild sample dissolution technique, involving HNO3 at 75 C, produced quantitative Hg recoveries for certified sediment samples and recoveries equivalent to those of rigorous Parr-bomb digestions for other soil and sediment samples. Oven drying of samples at 150 C resulted in significant losses of Hg from both soil and sediment samples. Air drying, oven drying at 60 C or freeze drying resulted in Hg recoveries that agreed within 20% of those for undried samples. Thus, any one of these three comparable methods is recommended for Hg determinations in soils and sediments. Keywords: Chemical analysis; Volatilization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA161948
Entities
People
- Brian T. Foley
- James H. Cragin
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory