DOI: 10.5176/2251-2489_BioTech15.24
Authors: Dawn S S , Nirmala. N, J. Meenupriya, and Tephilin Shilpa
Abstract: Recent advances and ease of access in computers and communication systems has led to enormous usage of electronic devices. This scenario results in an outrageous number of e-waste generation contaminated with toxic heavy metals and gases. This poses a serious environmental threat as the amount of e-waste generated is in an alarming state and negligible amount of work is being done to effectively handle, manage and recycle e-waste. Mercury being the most toxic heavy metal is a major concern; the present study aims to identify the amount of Mercury in CFLs which is a mandatory domestic and commercial appliance. Used CFLs were collected, homogenised and investigated to detect the presence of Mercury in vapour phase, phosphorous and glass matrix phases analytically using ICP-MS. A mechanism was designed to recover Mercury from both Solid phase and Vapour phase at controlled rates. The results show that mercury content in CFLs vary significantly with brand (3,11). The gas phase mercury content is significantly high compared to the existing literature support using the designed mechanism.
Keywords: E-waste, CFL lamps, Mercury toxicity, ICP-MS
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