Removal of mercury vapor from ambient air of dental clinics using an air cleaning system based on silver nanoparticles

Mercury is a toxic and bio-accumulative pollutant that has adverse effects on environmental and human health. There have been a number of attempts to regulate mercury emissions to the atmosphere. Silver nanoparticles are a number of materials that have highly potential to absorb mercury and formation of mercury amalgam. The aim of this study is removal of mercury vapors in the dental clinic using a n a ir cleaning system based on silver nanoparticles. In this study, silver nanoparticles coated on the bed of foam and chemical and structural properties were determined using a number of methods such as UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) connected the X-ray Emission Spectroscopy Energy (EDS). The a ir cleaning system efficiency to remove of the mercury vapor in simulated conditions in the laboratory and real conditions in the dental clinic were measured by Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (CVAAS). The images of SEM, showed that average size of silver nanoparticles in colloidal solution was ∼ 30 nm and distribution of silver nanoparticles coated on foam was good. EDS spectrum confirmed the presence of silver nanoparticles coated on foam. The significantly difference observed between the concentration of mercury vapor in the off state (9.43 ± 0.342 μg.m-3) and on state (0.51 ± 0.031μg.m-3) of the a ir cleaning system. The mercury vapor removal efficiency of the a ir cleaning system was calculated 95%. The air cleaning system based on foam coated by silver nanoparticles, undertaken to provide the advantages such as use facilitating, highly efficient operational capacity and cost effective, have highly sufficiency to remove mercury vapor from dental clinics.