Author : Uday Kurien
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (119 download)
Book Synopsis Heterogeneous Uptake and Reactions of Atmospheric Gaseous Elemental Mercury and Its Application to Remediation Technologies by : Uday Kurien
Download or read book Heterogeneous Uptake and Reactions of Atmospheric Gaseous Elemental Mercury and Its Application to Remediation Technologies written by Uday Kurien and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Mercury (Hg) is a persistent global toxicant that is recognized as a priority contaminant by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). To combat the hazards associated with the environmental inputs of Hg, the Minamata treaty was signed by 128 countries in 2013. The treaty calls for a reduction in the anthropogenic release of Hg and for research to better understand Hg’s behaviour in the environment and atmosphere. This thesis addresses some of these challenges, by (1) identifying and characterizing potentially important gas phase and surface reactions of Hg (Theme 1) and (2) developing a proof-of-concept energy neutral technology to remove and recycle Hg from consumer electronics (Theme 2). The specific issues addressed within Theme 1 are: (1) Gaseous elemental mercury’s (Hg0(g)) uptake on the reactive components (iron(oxyhydr)oxide particles) of mineral dust and (2) particle surface mediated Hg0(g)-O3 reactions. Theme 2 addresses the development of an energy neutral technology for the recycling of Hg from Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs).In the first part of Theme 1, the uptake of Hg0(g) on iron (oxyhydr)oxides nanoparticles was investigated. Loss of gas phase Hg0(g) was observed when the iron (oxyhydr)oxides were irradiated with ultra violet and visible radiation (300 nm ≤ [lambda] ≤ 700 nm). Irradiation caused the rates of the uptake reactions to increase by up to 900-fold relative to dark reactions. Humidity was found to inhibit the uptake reaction. Possible mechanisms of the radiation enhanced uptake reactions and its inhibition by humidity are discussed. Adsorption isotherms for the visible radiation assisted uptake of Hg0(g) on [alpha]-Fe2O3 were evaluated and found to fit the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. In the second part of Theme 1, the effect of [alpha]-Fe2O3 particles on the oxidation of Hg0(g) by O3 was investigated. Depending on the mass loading of the particles, the rates of the surface mediated oxidation reaction were found to be ~ 80 -2000-fold larger than those of the pure gas phase reaction, re-investigated in this study using particle free air. This evidence supports the longstanding belief that Hg0(g)-O3 oxidation kinetics are highly surface sensitive. The rates of the surface mediated reactions were found to be independent of O3 concentrations (1 – 40 ppm) and 0 % ≤ RH ≤ 75 %. At RH = 100 % the Hg0(g) loss profiles shifted from an exponential decay, typical of pseudo first order reactions, to a linear decay. The reaction rates were, however, still elevated relative to homogeneous reactions. Possible mechanisms of the surface mediated reaction and the effect of humidity are discussed.In Theme 2, we exploit the uptake of Hg0(g) on iron oxide surfaces to develop a laboratory scale energy neutral technology for the remediation of Hg0(g) from Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs). The application of this technology is intended to replace the presently employed high energy thermal desorption remediation techniques. Hg0(g) from CFLs was successfully trapped onto iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and [alpha]-Fe2O3) of high crustal abundance, using batch and flow-through systems. Recovery (~ 40 % - 90 %) of Hg from the iron oxide nanoparticles and regeneration of the iron oxide nanoparticle surfaces were achieved via electrolysis in an aqueous solution of NaCl. The post-electrolysis iron oxide nanoparticles were reused to trap Hg0(g) in further remediation experiments. Even after 4 adsorption-electrolysis cycles, the iron oxides’ capacity to adsorb Hg0(g) did not diminish"--