title: The removal of mercury from dental-operatory wastewater by polymer treatment.
abstract: The mercury (Hg) content of dental-operatory wastewater has become an issue in many localities, and Hg removal is rapidly becoming a matter of concern for all dental clinics. This preliminary study tested the efficacy of polymers for the removal of Hg contaminants from the dental-unit wastewater stream. Two commercially available polymers were used to treat dental-operatory wastewater. Used separately, each polymer removed from 74.9% to 88.4% of the Hg from dental-wastewater supernatant. The polymers used in combination, within the recommended pH range, removed up to 99.9% of the total Hg from dental-wastewater supernatant. The estimated optimal concentration of the two polymers is approximately 2.33 ml of each per liter of waste, and more than 90% of the Hg may be removed with 0.13 ml/l. Results indicate that a combination of the two polymers may sufficiently reduce Hg levels to allow discharge of clarified supernatants into public sewer systems.
authors.affiliation: Naval Dental Research Institute, Applied Laboratory Science Department, Great Lakes, IL 60088-5259 USA.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Pederson
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Ovsey
mesh_terms: D003813:Dentistry; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D011108:Polymers; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers; D014867:Water; D008628:Mercury