Analysis of mercury in rock varnish samples in areas impacted by coal-fired power plants

被引:7
作者
Nowinski, Piotr [1 ]
Hodge, Vernon F. [2 ]
Gerstenberger, Shawn [3 ]
Cizdziel, James V. [4 ]
机构
[1] Clark Cty Dept Air Qual, Las Vegas, NV 89118 USA
[2] Univ Nevada, Dept Chem, Las Vegas, NV 89154 USA
[3] Univ Nevada, Dept Environm & Occupat Hlth, Las Vegas, NV 89154 USA
[4] Univ Mississippi, Dept Chem & Biochem, University, MS 38677 USA
关键词
Rock varnish; Desert varnish; Power plants; Cold vapor AA; Mercury; PROJECT MOHAVE TRACER; DESERT VARNISH; DEPOSITION; AIR; COMPILATION; MANGANESE; BEHAVIOR; ELEMENT; ORIGIN;
D O I
10.1016/j.envpol.2013.04.011
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
Rock varnish is a manganese-iron rich coating that forms on rocks, most often in arid climates. To assess its utility as an environmental monitor of mercury contamination, cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) was used for analysis. Samples were collected in the fallout patterns of two coal-fired power plants in southern Nevada: the defunct Mohave Power Plant (MPP) and the operating Reid Gardner Power Plant (RGPP). The resultant Hg concentrations in rock varnishes were plotted as a function of the distance from each power plant. The highest concentrations of Hg occurred at locations that suggest the power plants are the main source of pollutants. In addition, past tracer plume studies carried out at MPP show that the highest tracer concentrations coincide with the highest rock varnish Hg concentrations. However, additional samples are required to further demonstrate that power plants are indeed the sources of mercury in varnishes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:132 / 137
页数:6
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