Two ways of using a chamber for mercury flux measurement—A simple mathematical approach

The use of a flux chamber to measure high mercury fluxes (>1 μg m−2 h−1) over contaminated soil was examined. Air from the chamber was circulated through a cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometer (CVAAS) in a closed circuit; emission flux was then determined from the zero time concentration derivative. Based on simple mathematical models, equations have been derived to evaluate the fluxes. Results obtained from laboratory experiments performed using a thin soil layer with a stabilized emission, were compared with a conventional chamber method that uses gold traps for mercury sampling. Good agreement between the two techniques was observed, validating the theoretical conclusions.