Confindustria Emilia-Romagna

“Low cost sorbent for reducing mercury emissions”

Soreme Project18 month meeting

Tartu, 18 June 2014

Life+ 11 ENV/IT/109-Soreme

CONER represents companies to test the Soreme sorbent at semi-industrial and industrial level

CONER is responsible for implementation of the following actions:

Implementation actions (B) B.4 - Demonstration of the innovative project mercury sorbent at semi-industrial

level B.5 - Demonstration of the innovative project mercury sorbent at industrial level

Monitoring of the impact of the project actions (C) C.4 – Feedback on Soreme mercury sorbent use C.5 - Demonstration of environmental-technical-socio-economic viability

CONER is also involved : Communication and dissemination actions (D) Project management and monitoring of the project progress (E)

Role of Confindustria ER in Soreme

Role of Confindustria ER in Soreme: timetable

Main activities and results: Complete the selection of Industries available to host the demonstration activities ( with the involvement

of local industrial associations ) side effect: dissemination and promotional events! Demonstration activity on gas emission and waste water treatment SOREME demonstration facilities (gas + water) to be integrated within the specific industrial plan\cycle; The scope of the demonstration activities focuses on "demonstrating the flexibility of its use in different

real industrial cycles\environment”:

Crematoria – Gas Phase Treatment; Crematoria – Liquid Phase Treatment; Medical \Hospital wast water treatment ; Industrial Plants producing concrete goods all involving as final purification steps processes with

waste waters containing mercury; Industrial plants treating urban wastes (Waste Water Emission)

Feedback on mercury sorbent use started (C.4 action) Regulatory assessment on the environmental viability (C.5 action) Realization of SOREME video and SOREME trials 4 presentations + 1 poster @ R2B + 1 international fair

Focus on demonstration at (semi)industrial (B.4-B.5) Status Note Industrial Cycle

Hg Form

Type Emi.1

Hg Content

Hg content Regulation Loc SOREME2 Tests

Num.

Crematoria

HgO, HgCl2

G 0.3/0.5 mg/Nm3

< 50 µg/Nm3 Mo 7 Kg, G 7+7 Done effective

Crematoria

HgO, HgCl2

L < 5µg/l Mo 4Kg, G 4+4 Running Effective under batch condition

Medical Hospital Waste treatment

HgMe HgO,

HgCl2 L >20 µg/l < 5µg/l

Mi FC FC

4Kg, G 1Kg P 1Kg G

4+4 1+1 2+2

Running Done Done

Effective under batch or low flow conditions. The sizing and the high specific weight are both considered limiting factors

Industries producing goods

Hg HgO L >50 µg/l < 5µg/l

Lugo, Lugo,

Va

1Kg G 1Kg G 4Kg G

4+4 4+4 4+4

Done Done

Running “

Industries treating urban waste

Hg HgO L

>50 µg/l < 5µg/l Va

4Kg G

4+4 Running “

Industries Burning urban waste

HgO, HgCl2 G > 0.5

mg/Nm3 < 50

µg/Nm3 Pi

10Kg G

2+2 Under analysys ---------

The production of over 30 tests on different mercury impregnated samples (both SOREME and

other commercially available ACs) has been done in different industrial framework each with its own dedicated approach

The SOREME sorbent has thus been proposed as a viable solution for a number of industrial sectors with problems related to mercury emissions.

it has also been necessary (and non forseen in the proposal) to realize dedicated (disposable) demonstration facilities to expose the SOREME sorbent to

real industrial cycles under controlled process parameters while contemporary satisfying the current environmental and security regulatory framework;

Elaborate temporary plans for the security of individual industrial plant hosting the demonstration activities and for the employees;

Validate dedicated Assurances to cover the risk of any unexpected damages the SOREME sorbents might have caused to any third parties, infrastructures or employees, for a maximum amount of 1.5M€.

Set-up necessary procedures to manage the SOREME sorbent filtration unit during the life cycles of the demonstration activities.

Ask environmental authorization to local authority

… the bureaucracy

Authorization and parts of the documents DUVRI DURC

Authorization and parts of the documents

Soreme Ecosystems (sites and suppliers)

Milano

Dissemination activitiesDissemination activities

Dissemination activities

Description of the plantsINCINERATION PLANTS – Modena

The Soreme Demonstration FacilityIndustrial Treatment Stages

to satisfy environmental regulations on emissions

SOREME Demonstration Facility

The Soreme Demonstration Facility - foto

The Soreme Demonstration Facility - foto

After the definition of a procedure 7+7 trials have been done under different industrial cycles

The SOREME + ACs are sent to CNR for analysis

Incineration furnace of hospital waste

Mercury is transferred into the water in the washing step of the

fumes (wet scrubbing towers) and in various other stages which

involve shutting down and transport of the ashes, the

washing of the open spaces, etc. ...

Phase 1 (Sample qualification) mercury 0.02 and 0.05 mg/l - The waste water used for the test was taken immediately downstream of the washing tower of the fumes

N Liquid Sorbent Contact time [min]

Hg in the treated liquid [µg/l]

3 50ml of waste water [39 µg/l] Hg 15g ACs 15 <54 50ml of waste water [39 µg/l] Hg 15g SOREME 15 <51 30ml demineralized water 15g ACs 60 <52 30ml demineralized water 15g SOREME 60 <5

Phase 2/3 (adsorption test in batch condition): The sorbent product is brought into contact with the wastewater containing mercury, in different test conditions (contact time, temperature, volumetric ratios, saturation of the sorbent).

For all the tests the SOREME has been proved to be similar to commercially available Acs, remarkably providing evidence to be able to absorb the mercury in waste water;

Also once exposed in water solition Hg is not realised

Hg into water

Phase 4 (hydraulic test in pilot plant) : The sorbent product is inserted inside a column filtration plant. The test is intended to check the hydraulic characteristics and in particular the load losses and the material's ability to withstand a filtration type "downstream“ or to switch to a filtration of type "upstream"

Phase 5 (adsorption test on pilot plan): The SOREME sorbent, is made to pass through from the wastewater containing mercury, in different test conditions (contact time, saturation of the sorbent).Running activities

Height of the filter bed: 750 mm Internal diameter of the column: 54mm Area of the filter bed: 22,9 cm² Volume of the filter bed: 1,72 l

Plants producing goods (Waste Water Emission):

Mercury is transferred in waste water in a similar way as for the incineration plants.

To determinate the effectiveness of SOREME in waste water from industrial manufacturing processes, it has been necessary to : determinate the maximum transit velocity in a dedicated columnar filtrating system; determinate the capability of absorption of SOREME sorption in solution containing different Hg

concentrations; benchmark the SOREME sorbent with commercially available ACs having similar volume and specific

filtrating velocity;

A filtrating system has been realized to simulate industrial treatment under a controlled environment.(host SOREME in pellet or in granular + commercially-available activated carbon PK1-3.

The industrial case also requires a filtrating bed with a first layer of quartzite followed by carbons. Different water solutions containing a controlled amount of mercury have been prepared and demonic tests performed so as to force the polluted liquid to percolate inside the multi-layers of quarzite folowed by SOREME or comercially available sorbent.

Plants producing goods (The Acs vs SOREME):ACs. CK 3mm SOREME PELLET. 3mm SOREME Granular

- 100 ml SOREME Granular shape (56,30g)- 100 ml Quarzite, (135,85g )- 100 ml pk 1-3 ACs (27,90 g)

SOREME PELLETS DISGRAGATE IN WAST WATER different methods are required to control

DIVEO

Hg content SOREME ACs pk 1-3Test A [µg/l] 237,7 234,4Test B [µg/l] 27 30Test B [µg/l] 9,6 6,7

SOREME testing solutions respectivenly

The results shows that the SOREME performs similarly to ACs in terms of absolute Hg absorbed. Despite that, the efficiencies measured in terms of µg of Hg per each g of sorbent shows that the commercial carbon Pk1-3 is 1,4-2 times better that SOREME sorbent. The SOREME sorbent in granular shape has the limit to be applied under relatively low filtration rate (4,5 m3/h per m2) vs PK 1-3 mm. This means that for such kind of application SOREME requires to be developed under a controlled-in-size- shape (target size 1—3 mm) so to be used with a higher velocity. This limits the usage of SOREME to applications with very low water flow or under batch conditions.

Plants producing goods (results):

Other industrial Plants water treatments

3 other types of exposure conditionsAre under analisys

B.5 – Gas emission in urban wast treatment

Dissemination events of CONER

Promotional evets: • Unindustria Forlì Cesena (5-6 April 2013)• Unindustria Forlì Cesena (11 April and 22 May 2013)

Journal : Dimensione IndustriaReaching over 500 companies

SOREME Team at CONER

Luca Rossi

Anna Maria Raimondi

Gianluca RusconiAnna De Vito

Danilo Mascolo

Thank you for your attention