Improving data quality on low level mercury wastewater analysis

In order to compare treatability test results evaluating low-level mercury (Hg) removal from oil refinery wastewater, improvements in Hg analytical methods were conducted at two US EPA certified analytical labs. The revisions in the analytical protocols improved Hg recoveries and hence enabled more reliable data interpretation and comparison for the specific wastewater tested. Nevertheless, significant differences between results from the two laboratories were identified in a split-sample experiment.