The practical instructions describes the steps for: installing, handling and storing the Passive Air Samplers used for measuring the concentration of total gaseous mercury in ambient air.
The peculiarity of the passive samplers relies on the unassisted molecular diffusion of gaseous agents (i.e. volatile vapours of elemental mercury) through a diffusive surface onto an adsorbent scaffolding. Unlike actively pumped sampling, passive samplers require no electricity, have no moving parts, and are simple to use, no pump operation or calibration.
The passive sampler, designed and fabricated within CNR, comprised a nanostructured adsorbing membrane coating a porous quartz slice, a glass vessel and a cap with a protective grid for the exposure to the environment.
