(115j) Nanotechnology for Hg Managment in Cfls

Increasing adoption of energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) has led to concerns about consumer exposure to mercury. This study measures mercury concentrations following CFL fracture in well ventilated rooms, in confined spaces, and in common container materials used for lamp shipping and recycling. In well-ventilated rooms, mercury release is mass transfer limited and concentrations are below 10 ug/m3 but easily measurable near the break site. In contrast, breaking CFLs in small confined spaces leads to mercury concentrations near the full mercury vapor pressure of about 15,000 ug/m3 even after partial removal of the mercury by desorption. Our previous work identified uncoated nano-selenium as the most active sorbent for mercury vapor under these room-temperature conditions, and the present study focuses on the further engineering of nSe into practical solutions for break sites, recycling bags, and large shipping/collection boxes. The design and fabrication of nSe-based reactive barriers will be described and intial results given on their performance, stability, and landfill behavior. The results suggest that nano-selenium reactive barriers are very promising technology for safer handling, storage, and transport of CFLs.