Method of controlling leachable mercury in lamps
View Patent ↗A method for inhibiting mercury from leaching from a land-filled arc discharge lamp containing a quantity of elemental mercury at least partially convertible to soluble mercury, provides for including within the lamp a quantity of a non-metallic copper-containing compound and an ingredient X, said ingredient X including a noble metal or a noble metal compound selected from the group consisting of silver and compounds of silver, gold and platinum, and a lamp containing same. The inhibiting compound is preferably included with the basing cement.
1. A method for inhibiting mercury from leaching from a land-filled arc discharge lamp containing a quantity of elemental mercury at least partially convertible to soluble mercury, said method comprising:
including within said lamp a quantity of a non-metallic copper-containing compound and an ingredient X, said ingredient X including a noble metal or noble metal compound selected from the group consisting of silver and compounds of silver, gold and platinum.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said soluble mercury is present as mercury oxide.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said non-metallic copper-containing compound comprises copper dihydroxide carbonate.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said ingredient X comprises elemental silver.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said ingredient X comprises silver oxide as Ag 2 O.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said ingredient X comprises silver carbonate.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said ingredient X comprises gold chloride as AuCl 3 .
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said arc discharge lamp has a base held to said lamp by a basing cement and said non-metallic copper-containing compound and ingredient X are included in said basing cement.
9. A method for inhibiting mercury from leaching from a land-filled arc discharge lamp containing a quantity of elemental mercury at least partially convertible to soluble mercury, said method comprising:
including within said lamp a quantity of a non-metallic copper-containing compound and platinum chloride as PtCl 2 .