Storing and transporting mercury

[mike_au]

I posted a while ago about cleaning some mercury that had been given to me. I have about 1-2L of the stuff which I really don't have a use for but it is just too neat for me to get rid of it.

 

Towards the end of this year/early next I am considering moving overseas, I will be putting everything into a sea container which will then be put into storage for about 6-12 months. Once I have work, house, etc sorted I will bring the container over. I'm hoping I will be able to bring some of my mercury with me.

 

From what I can see sending it by courier would require me to buy a special mercury carrying bottle for a few hundred dollars, so I am thinking of taking it in the container. I know I won't be able to bring the whole lot over, aside from the difficulties of packaging it safely I'm sure it would raise a few eyebrows at customs and cause my whole container to be held up.

 

What I am thinking of is getting some unexpanded PET bottles and half filling them with mercury. The "bottles" look like large plastic test tubes, the threaded section at the top is formed but they haven't yet been expanded into the bottle shape (and are therefore significantly thicker). The remaining half of the tube would be filled with water (to reduce vaporisation) and sealed with standard bottle caps. I then put several of these tubes (3-6) into a section of PVC pipe surrounded by sulfur and seal the pipe.

 

I've done a bit of research, from what I can find neither the Hg or S should attack either the PET or PVC. High temperatures could be a problem for the PET however I believe the relative thickness of the tube combined with the S acting as an insulator should allow it to last for a couple of years without any trouble. In the event that the PET does rupture the Hg should form an amalgam with the S which is solid and doesn't release vapors.

 

I have at least 8 months before I will be leaving so I can do some long term tests before I actually start packing the container.

 

Comments? Suggestions?

 

Does this method of packaging sound sufficient?

 

What are the risks associated with it?

 

Mercury is listed as dangerous goods by airlines, but I am having a hard time tracking down details of sending it by sea. Does the container need to be placarded?

 

Is there a better way? or should I just give up on the whole thing and leave it behind?

[Arthur]

Most hazardous goods have a LQ figure - the limited quantity that can be shipped without ADR shipping. For some things the LQ is zero so all shipments must be placarded but for other goods it can be from 100g to 50 kilos. You really need to check the packing regs and the quantities permissible with a DGSA competent for the route of shipment that you need to use.

 

The PET bottle preform idea seems good and the sulphur absorbant seems good too.

[Swede]

Won't a plain old HDPE leak-proof Nalgene bottle accomplish containment of the Hg safely? They are very strong, well made, and guaranteed to not leak with normal air transport pressure changes.

 

Regardless of the container itself, I appreciate the fact that you want to ship them safely contained in yet ANOTHER strong container. You could even seal the PVC tube section with permanent solvent-weld caps... it would create a monolithic container that would be VERY strong, and leakproof to boot.

[mike_au]

I actually noticed at work this morning that out in the stores they have small bottles of cleaning solution in what appears to be little HDPE bottles. I was thinking I will have to see if I can get a few to try out.

 

I haven't heard of Nalgene before, but I will do some digging and see if I can track them down. The main reason that I was thinking of using the preforms is that I already have a couple of them and they look fairly tough. If I can get Nalgene bottles and they seem to be better I will go with them.

 

Pressure shouldn't be a problem since it will be going by sea. I don't think airlines allow Hg on board regardless of how well it is packed due to Hg forming an amalgam with Al which inhibits the formation of the protective oxide coating.

 

I had thought of sealing both ends of the PVC. My concerns with that are that opening it again would be messy and I would have to be careful in case the internal container had leaked (i.e. I wouldn't be able to put it on it side while cutting the top off), the solvent may slightly weaken the internal container (or it's lid, since I'm fairly sure HDPE will resist MEK) and over the 12ish months that it is in storage increase the chance of a leak, and (depending on what happens with declarations, etc) it might look a bit dodgy if customs pick it up on x-ray and find a completely sealed container full of something with an extremely high density.

 

I still can't seem to find a simple answer online, so I am going to have a talk to a shipping agent in the next few weeks or so but I suspect that if I go the dangerous goods shipping route I will need special containers, etc which wouldn't be cost effective. If there are allowances for taking small amounts without declaring them as dangerous goods then I will probably go with the multiple containers and sulfur setup.

[Rogue Chemist]

I think you are well set up like that. But put the PET tube in a plastic bag, then in the sulfur. You will thank me when you want to access your Hg without getting covered in sulfur every time .

Small point, Hg and sulfur react forming mercury sulfide, they do not form an amalgam.

[mike_au]

I think you are well set up like that. But put the PET tube in a plastic bag, then in the sulfur. You will thank me when you want to access your Hg without getting covered in sulfur every time .

I'm really just planning for the trip at the moment, although I might set up something similar to store it once it arrives.

 

Small point, Hg and sulfur react forming mercury sulfide, they do not form an amalgam.

 

Fair enough, I guess I got mixed up when I first got the stuff and was reading about all the silver/gold/aluminium amalgams. Anyway, S is used in spill kits to absorb mercury so it should be suitable for the task.

 

Those Nalgene bottles look pretty decent, I'm going to grab a few of ebay in the next few days.

[Swede]

Those Nalgene bottles look pretty decent, I'm going to grab a few of ebay in the next few days.

 

Nalgene is nothing more than a brand-name of high-quality HDPE bottles, both wide and small-mouthed. For Hg, look for the small mouth. I can verify that they NEVER leak even with multiple aircraft pressurization cycles. An 8 ounce bottle has transported many batches of single malt or similar for my trips, and I am never certain of the orientation of the bottle... a lot of the time, it's probably upside down.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Swede

[FrankRizzo]

Aircraft are usually made from a significant portion of aluminum parts.

 

This is why you can't ship mercury via air:

 

[psyco_1322]

Does that really just create more Al2O3? I'm interested in the reaction happening there if anyone knows more than the How 2.0 article did. I seen that video quite some time ago, thought to try it out some day, and forgot all about it.

[mike_au]

Does that really just create more Al2O3? I'm interested in the reaction happening there if anyone knows more than the How 2.0 article did. I seen that video quite some time ago, thought to try it out some day, and forgot all about it.

 

I'm not quite sure what the How 2.0 article is but this is how I understand it works:

 

Al will react rapidly with atmospheric oxygen, however the aluminium oxide layer that forms acts as a protective barrier preventing the oxidation from continuing.

 

When Hg is in contact with Al, a small amount of Al will bond with the Hg separating from the bulk of the Al. That loose Al floats to the surface where it finds atmospheric oxygen and oxidises, and the cycle starts over.

 

Have a look at this one:

[psyco_1322]

How 2.0 is the section in the magazine Popular Science that the video Franky posted came from. The video is part of the article.

 

And yes... I did call you Franky... haha

[Mumbles]

I do believe Nalgene is actually polycarbonate. Thus all the hoopla about bisphenol A. Everything causes cancer, people should just accept that. They use lower tier polycarbonate for the bottles and stuff. The high tier stuff goes towards compact disks, DVDs, and lenses. Nalgene is a brand and a company, so I know they make polyethyene based stuff now. "bisphenol A free" nalgene and all that.

 

Nalgene is nothing more than a brand-name of high-quality HDPE bottles, both wide and small-mouthed. For Hg, look for the small mouth. I can verify that they NEVER leak even with multiple aircraft pressurization cycles. An 8 ounce bottle has transported many batches of single malt or similar for my trips, and I am never certain of the orientation of the bottle... a lot of the time, it's probably upside down.

[psyco_1322]

Yes, Nalgene's are usually polycarbonate, the drinking bottles at least, thus why they get dubbed "unbreakable". I have seen some big jugs at work (not the kind your thinking...lol) that we hold solutions in that are made by Nalgene and are not polycarb, but rather HDPE.

[FrankRizzo]

How 2.0 is the section in the magazine Popular Science that the video Franky posted came from. The video is part of the article.

 

And yes... I did call you Franky... haha

 

Haha..all the sudden I've got that Manson song "F*ck Frankie* stuck in my head.

 

Basically the mercury forms an amalgam with the aluminum, and while in the amalgamated state, the elemental aluminum is free to react with atmospheric oxygen. Once it starts, the oxidized aluminum comes out of the amalgam, and leaves the mercury to grab more fresh metal. The mercury is just a catalyst. However, there has to be a fresh scratch on the aluminum for the mercury to come in contact with unoxidized metal in order for that amalgamation to start.

Edited February 5, 2010 by FrankRizzo

[Swede]

Mumbles, Nalgene (as you know) makes a variety of lab storage bottles. A lot of the Nalgene stuff you see in stores is directed to consumers, and is that clear polycarbonate with a fancy cap. I refer to these from a company like U.S. Plastics:

 

US Plastics

 

They make everything from $500 PFA bottles to regular $3 HDPE Boston Round types.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/images/products/bottles/69014p.jpg

 

Anyway, I think it is a good idea to ship the Hg via ground. If Hg gets into the air conditioner packs on an aircraft, you could make a lot of people sick.

[SolarSeeker]

I would use my plumbers torch to make glass ampules out of glass tubing. Then i would heat seal the mercury inside with the same torch. After that I would wrap the ampule in cotton or other soft material before placing that inside a pill bottle. Beyond that (depending on my mood) I'd put that inside something else sturdy like a wooden box.

 

I'd like to see any piece of glass break when packaged like that.

[dagabu]

Psssst! That thread is a year old.

[Peret]

Psssst! That thread is a year old.

But since it's been revived, I'll just observe that bulk mercury is stored and shipped in iron flasks, and has been for about 500 years. Only retail quantities come in plastic. It attacks some kinds of glass, as I discovered when I tried to keep an ounce in a glass specimen bottle. It dissolved something out of the glass, which became frosted, and the mercury bead became coated with grey powder. See picture. It was bright silver when it went in the jar.