mercury waste

8/12/2019 Mercury Waste

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RAVAGO DE LA FUENTE KHARIL MACUJA

MERCURY WASTE


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MERCURY AND MERCURY COMPOUNDS

Mercury is a neurotoxin that can adverselyaffect the central nervous system.

Mercury compounds are:

teratogenic or capable to cause birth

defects toxic to lethal via ingestion or

absorption

toxic to the following organs orsystems: central nervous system,

digestive system, kidney, liver and skin

Methyl mercury - the most toxic form ofmercury compound.


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COMMON ITEMS THAT CONTAIN MERCURY

In schools At home

Thermometer

BarometersSwitches

Thermostats

Flowmeters

Lamps

Laboratory reagents

Light switches

Fluorescent bulbsPaints

Batteries

Some beauty products


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MERCURY EMISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES*

Category Emissionskg Hg/year %

Primary Virgin Metal Production 74,769 31.95Extraction and Use of Fuel and Energy Resources 47,862 20.45Other intentional use-thermometer etc 46,653 19.93Wastewater 29,685 12.68Consumer products with intentional use of mercury 22,717 9.71Intentional use of mercury in industrial processes 8,400 3.59Production of other minerals with mercury impurities 2,415 1.03Crematoria 1,530 0.65Total 234,031 100

*gross estimates using the maximum default factors of UNEP

Table 1. Total Mercury Output or Emissions per Category, kg Hg/year


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MERCURY EMISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES*

*gross estimates using the maximum default factors of UNEP

Category Kg Hg/year PercentageAir 106,423 45.47Land 44,214 18.89Water 40,943 17.49General Waste 29,474 12.59Sector specific 7,259 3.10Impurity in Products 5,718 2.44Total 234,031 100Table 2. Total Mercury Output Distribution to the Environment, kg/year


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REGULATIONS RELEVANT TO MERCURY IN THE

PHILIPPINES

Chemical Control Order (CCO) for Mercury and Mercury

Compounds (1997)

Presidential Decree (PD) 1152 - Philippine Environmental Code

(1977) Republic Act 6969 - Toxic Substances, Hazardous and Nuclear

Wastes Control Act (1990)

Other policies


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CHEMICAL CONTROL ORDER (CCO) FOR

MERCURY AND MERCURY COMPOUNDS (1997)

Administrative Order No. 38, Series of 1997

Applies to: importation, manufacture, processing, use and distribution ofmercury and mercury compounds.

Addresses the: treatment, storage and disposal of mercury-bearing or mercurycontaminated wastes in the Philippines.

Limited to the following sectors: (a) importers and distributors, (b)manufacturers, processors and industrial users, (c) transporters, and (d) treatersand disposers.

Permitted end users of mercury in the Philippines: chlor -alkali plants, miningand metallurgical industries, electrical apparatus (lamps, arc rectifiers, batterycells and others), industrial and control instruments, pharmaceutical, paintmanufacturing, pulp and paper manufacturing, dental amalgam, industrialcatalyst, pesticides (fungicide) production or formulation.


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PRESIDENTIAL DECREE (PD) 1152 - PHILIPPINE

ENVIRONMENTAL CODE (1977)

- Took effect in 1977

- Provides a basis for an integrated waste management

regulation starting from waste source to methods of disposal.

- PD 1152 has further mandated specific guidelines to managemunicipal wastes (solid and liquid), sanitary landfill and

incineration, and disposal sites in the Philippines.


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REPUBLIC ACT 6969 - TOXIC SUBSTANCES,

HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTES CONTROL

ACT (1990)A law designed to respond to increasing problems associated with

toxic chemicals, hazardous and nuclear wastes. RA 6969

mandates control and management of import, manufacture,

process, distribution, use, transport, treatment, and disposal oftoxic substances and hazardous and nuclear wastes in the country.

The Act seeks to protect public health and the environment from

unreasonable risks posed by these substances in the Philippines.


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OTHER POLICIES

There are other policies that directly or indirectly regulate mercury

use and emissions in the Philippines but they could be the basis for

more specific regulations. These are the following laws and their

respective implementing rules and regulations:

PD 984 (Pollution Control Law of 1976)

PD 1586 (Environmental Impact Assessment System Law of

1978)

RA 8749 (Clean Air Act of 1998)

RA 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2001)

RA 9275 (Clean Water Act of 2004)

Amendment to Rule 1030 of the OSH Standard and Article 162

Book IV of the Labor Code of the Philippines PD No. 442


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MERCURY TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES

Soil and Waste Treatment

Solidification/stabilization

Soil washing/acid extraction

Thermal treatment

Vitrification

Water Treatment

Precipitation/Coprecipitation

Adsorption

Membrane filtration

Bioremediation


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SOLIDIFICATION/STABILIZATION (S/S)

Technology Description:

Reduces the mobility of hazardous substances and contaminants in the

environment through both physical and chemical means.

Physically binds or encloses contaminants within a stabilized mass and

chemically reduces the hazard potential of a waste by converting thecontaminants into less soluble, mobile, or toxic forms.

Amalgamation- typically used to immobilize elemental mercury by

dissolving the mercury in another metal to form a semisolid alloy

known as an amalgam. It is often combined with encapsulation toprevent volatization of mercury from the amalgam.


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Media Treated Binders and Reagents Used in S/S of Mercury Binders andReagents used

in Amalgamation

of Mercury

Soil

SludgeOther solids

Liquid wastes

Industrial waste

Elemental

(liquid) mercury

Cement

Calcium polysulfideChemically bonded

phosphate ceramics

(CBPC)

Phosphate

metasilicateSodium sulfide

Sulfur polymer cement

(SPC)

Platinum

Polyester resinsPolymer beads

Polysiloxane

compounds (silicon

hydride and silicon

hydroxide)pH adjustment agents

Sodium

dithiocarbamate

Sodium

Copper

TinNickel

Zinc


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Figure 1. Model of a Solidification/Stabilization System



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CASE STUDY: ALLIED TECHNOLOGY GROUP

MERCURY STABILIZATION PROCESS

Facility: Brookhaven National Laboratory

Treated: Soil containing 4,000 mg/kg of mercury (total of 200 kg contaminated

soil was treated at the end of project)

Initial concentration of Hg in leachate: 0.282 mg/L

Method: Soil was split into two parts, and each part was treated with a different

stabilizing agent: sodium dithiocarbamate (DTC), and liquid sulfide

formulation.

Final concentration:

with sodium dithiocarbamate: 0.0139 mg/L

with liquid sulfide: 0.002 mg/L

Remarks: Both DTC and liquid sulfide additive reduced mercury to below the

regulatory limit (less than 0.025 mg/L).


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SOIL WASHING/ACIDEXTRACTION


Soil washing takes advantage of the behavior of some contaminants to

preferentially adsorb onto the fines fraction. The contaminated soil is suspended

in a wash solution and the fines are separated from the suspension, thereby

reducing the contaminant concentration in the remaining soil. The contaminatedwater generated from soil washing is treated with a technology suitable for the

contaminants.

Acid extraction uses an extracting chemical such as hydrochloric acid or

sulfuric acid to extract contaminants from a solid matrix by dissolving them in the

acid. The metal contaminants are recovered from the acid leaching solutionusing techniques such as aqueous-phase electrolysis.


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Media Treated Agents Used in Soil Washing and

Acid Extraction

Soil (ex situ)

Sediment (ex situ)

Leaching agents

Surfactants

Acids Hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid

Chelating agents

Sodium chloride


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Figure 2. Model of Soil Washing System


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CASE STUDY: SOIL WASHING OF MERCURY-

CONTAMINATED SOIL AT KING OF PRUSSIA

SUPERFUND SITE

Facility: King of Prussia Superfund Site in Winslow Township, New Jersey

Treated: 13,570 cubic yards of mercury-contaminated soil, sludge, and sediment

(1993)Method: Soil washing system consisted of a series of hydroclones, conditioners,

and froth floatation cells. Soil washing additives included a polymer and a

surfactant.

Initial Concentration of inorganic Hg: 100 mg/kg

Final Concentration: 1 mg/kg

Remarks:Residual sludges were disposed off site as nonhazardous waste, and

the treated soil was used as backfill at the site.


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THERMAL TREATMENT


Thermal treatment processes are physical methods to remove mercury from the

contaminated medium. Heat is supplied under reduced pressure to the

contaminated soil or waste, volatilizing mercury. The off-gas is treated by

condensation to generate liquid elemental mercury. The treated medium may beused as fill material or disposed.

Media Treated Types of Thermal Treatment Systems

Soil

SludgeSediment

Other solids

Rotary kiln combustion

Heated screw or auger hot oil or steamRetort conductive electrical heating or fuel-fired


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THERMAL TREATMENT

Figure 3. Model of a Thermal Desorption or Retort System


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CASE STUDY: BROOKHAVEN CHEMICAL HOLES

Facility: Brookhaven National Laboratory

Treated: 3000 lbs of mercury-contaminated soil from BNL Chemical Holes

Method: High-temperature thermal desorption (HTTD) under a high vacuum.

Heat was applied at 700 C. The soil was shredded before loaded into the unit.

The HTTD unit was sealed and vacuum of 25 in Hg was applied.

Initial concentration: 5,510 mg/kg; leachable concentrations: 0.2 to 1.4 mg/L

Final concentration: 10 mg/kg; leachable concentration: 0.0084 mg/L.

Remarks: The concentration of mercury in the air emissions ranged from 1 to 29

micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3), which is below the maximum achievablecontrol technology (MACT) standard of 40 g/m3.


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VITRIFICATION


Vitrification is a high-temperature treatment designed to immobilize

contaminants by incorporating them in the vitrified end product,

which is chemically durable and leach resistant. The primaryresidual generated by this technology is typically glass cullet or

aggregate. Secondary residuals generated are air emissions,

scrubber liquor, carbon filters, and used hood panels. This process

may also cause contaminants to volatilize or undergo thermal

destruction, thereby reducing their concentration in the soil orwaste.


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Media

Treated

Energy

Sources Used

for Vitrification

Energy Delivery

Mechanisms

Used for

Vitrification

In Situ Application

Depth

Soil

Sediments

Fossil fuels

Direct joule

heat

Arcs

Plasma torches

Microwaves

Electrodes (in situ)

Maximum

demonstrated depth is

20 feet

Very shallow depths or

depths greater than 20feet may require

innovative techniques

VITRIFICATION


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VITRIFICATION

Figure 4. Model of a Vitrification System


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CASE STUDY: PARSONS CHEMICAL SUPERFUND

SITE

Facility: Parsons Chemical Superfund Site in Grand Ledge,

Michigan

Treated: 3,000 cubic yards of soil and sediments

Method: Contaminated soil was excavated, placing it in a cell, andtreating it in a trench on site. The contaminated area consisted of

nine melt cells: eight separate melts were conducted at the site.

The duration of each melt was 10 to 19.5 days, and melts required

about a year to cool sufficiently to sampleInitial Hg concentration: 2,220 to 4,760 g/kg

Final Hg concentration: less than 40 g/kg


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PRECIPITATION/COPRECIPITATION


Precipitation uses chemicals to transform dissolved contaminants

into an insoluble solid. In coprecipitation, the target contaminant

may be in a dissolved, colloidal, or suspended form. Dissolved

contaminants do not precipitate, but are adsorbed onto another

species that is precipitated. Colloidal or suspended contaminants

become enmeshed with other precipitated species or are removed

through processes such as coagulation and flocculation. Processes

to remove mercury from water can include a combination ofprecipitation and coprecipitation. The precipitated/ coprecipitated

solid is then removed from the liquid phase by clarification or

filtration.


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Media Treated Chemicals and Methods Used forMercury

Precipitation/Coprecipitation

Groundwater

Wastewater

Ferric salts (ferric chloride), ferric

sulfate, or ferric hydroxideAlum

pH adjustment

Lime softening, limestone, and

calcium hydroxideSulfide

Lignin derivatives


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Figure 5. Model of a Precipitation/Coprecipitation Model


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CASE STUDY: OLIN CHEMICAL SITE

Facility: Olin Corporation McIntosh Plant Site in Washington

County, Alabama

Treated: Groundwater

Method: A Pump and Treat (P&T) remedy is being used forgroundwater at this site. The treatment system consists of

precipitation, carbon adsorption, and pH adjustment before

discharge to the Mobile River.

Initial Hg concentration: 44 g/L

Final Hg concentration: 0.3 g/L


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ADSORPTION

Technology Description: In adsorption, solutes (contaminants)

concentrate at the surface of a sorbent, thereby reducing their

concentration in the bulk liquid phase. The adsorbent is usually

packed into a column. Contaminants are adsorbed as

contaminated water is passed through the column.

This technology can reduce concentrations of inorganic mercury to

less than 2 g/L

It is often used as a polishing step (removal of mercury left in the

waste stream after a primary treatment process) for other water

treatment processes


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ADSORPTION

Media Treated Types of Sorbent used to Treat Mercury

Groundwater

Drinking waterWastewater

Granular activated carbon

Sulfur-impregnated activated carbonLancy filtration


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CASE STUDY: REDUCING MERCURY DISCHARGE

AT A TESTING LABORATORY

Facility: Testing laboratory in Massachusetts

Treated: Wastewater containing thimerosal

Initial concentration: 60 g/L

Method: Carbon adsorption full-scale system including a 15-micronbag filter, UV light, an equalization tank with pH adjustment to the 4

to 5 range, granular activated carbon filters, a mixing tank with pH

adjustment to 5.5 to 9.5, and a neutralization tank.

Final concentration: 1 g/L


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MEMBRANE FILTRATION

Technology Description: Membrane filtration separates

contaminants from water by passing it through a semi-permeable

barrier or membrane. The membrane allows some of the

constituents to pass through while blocking others.

Before membrane filtration, a pretreatment step may be used to

cause mercury to form precipitates or coprecipitates that can be

more effectively removed by this technology.

Membrane filtration can reduce concentrations of mercury to less

than 2 g/L.


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MEMBRANE FILTRATION

Media Treated

Drinking water

Groundwater

Surface water

Industrial wastewater

Types of Membrane

Filtration Processes

MicrofiltrationUltrafiltration

Nanofiltration

Reverse osmosisFigure 6. Model of a Membrane Filtration System


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CASE STUDY: HAZARDOUS WASTE COMBUSTOR

Ultrafiltration was included as part of a treatment train used to treat

a variety of contaminants in wastewater generated by the Air

Pollution Control (APC) equipment of a hazardous waste

combustor. The wastewater treatment system included a primary

and secondary treatment loop. The secondary treatment loopcontained a stage for precipitation with sodium hydroxide followed

by sedimentation and ultrafiltration. Analysis of samples collected

at the influent and effluent of this treatment loop showed that the

mercury concentration was reduced from 0.4 g/L to below thedetection limit of 0.2 g/L


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BIOREMEDIATION

Technology Description: Biological treatment of mercury-

contaminated wastes is catalyzed by microbial enzymes. In one

process, the soluble, ionic form of mercury is aerobically converted

to insoluble elemental mercury by an enzyme called mercury

reductase. The less soluble elemental mercury must be extractedusing another technology. In another process, a combination of

aerobic and anaerobic treatment methods is used to convert

soluble forms of mercury into insoluble mineral phases, such as

sulfides. The effluent from the biological treatment system isnormally subjected to further treatment by an activated carbon bed

or precipitation before disposal.


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BIOREMEDIATION

Media Treated

Wastewater

Microbes Used

Mercury-tolerant strains of Pseudomonas spp.

Proprietary microbial cultures

Amendments Used

SucroseYeast extract

NaCl

pH control reagents, such as NaOH and H3PO4

H2S

Figure 7. Model of a Biological

Treatment System


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CASE STUDY: ECHO BAY/MCCOY COVE MINE

SITE, NEVADA

Treated: Wastewater from the Echo Bay/McCoy Cove Mine

Method: Aqueous Biocyanide Process. This application of the

Aqueous Biocyanide Process used microorganisms isolated from

the mine stream in combination with proprietary microbial cultures.

A biofilm of the microbial mass was formed on the reactor bed,

which was made of a porous ceramic medium. This biofilm

converted the soluble ionic form of mercury (Hg2+) into more stable

mineral phases, primarily mercuric sulfide (HgS).

Initial Hg concentrations:151 to 177 g/L

Final Hg concentrations: 3 to 11 g/L


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REFERENCES

Associated Mercury Action Plan for the Philippines. Department of

Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau.

August 2008.

Treatment Technologies for Mercury in Soil, Waste, and Water. U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Superfund Remediation andTechnology Innovation. August 2007.

mercury waste

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