Abstract: An apparatus, for detecting mercury and total organic carbon, includes a first three-way T connected to a tube furnace, an absorption cell, and a three-way solenoid valve connected to a pressure regulator and a halogen trap. The tube furnace generates burnt products of samples including carbon dioxide, halogen acid, and mercury. The tube furnace is connected to a cylindrical outlet containing a mercury collection tube, which contains an absorptive material comprising gold particles and is disposed in the cylindrical outlet such that gases passing through the cylindrical outlet pass entirely through the mercury collection tube. The pressure regulator regulates a flow speed of an air or oxygen flow fed into the second three-way solenoid valve. The halogen trap removes the halogen acid from the burnt products. The apparatus further includes a non-dispersive infrared detector coupled to the halogen trap and detecting the carbon dioxide in the burnt products.