Advanced Technology Available for the Abatement
of Mercury Pollution in the Metallurgical Industry
A.B. MUKHERJEE
This report deals with the technology developed in the Nordic countries and in other parts of the
globe to abate mercury (Hg) pollution from the metallurgical industry. Hg, along with several other
chemicals, has received special attention due to its toxicity and bioaccumulation in the environment.
Hg is present as a trace constituent in sulphide minerals, coal and other raw materials. At higher
temperatures, it volatilizes and accompanies SO" thus combining with HLS0 4 and passing into the
environment. Much of this acid is used for the production of fertilizers, causing the entry of Hg into
the food web. There are 11 commercially known Hg removal processes from gases in the metallurgical
industry, of which 9 are examined here.
1
Introduction
Mercury has been known to society and used since neolithic times. This metal
attracts attention and concern due to its extreme toxicity, mobility, bioaccumulation, methylation processes and long-range transport in the atmosphere
(Fitzgerald and Clarkson 1991). In recent decades, high concentrations of Hg in
lake sediments and fish distant from point sources in the Nordic countries and
North America have been documented (Swain and Helwig 1989; Verta 1990; Rusk
and Verta 1995). Studies in Canada indicate that aboriginal people suffer from
methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning, which bioaccumulates in fish found downstream from historical Hg sources, in natural lakes and hydroelectric reservoirs
(Wheatley and Paradis 1995).
The cycling of Hg in the environment is extremely intricate and there are still
uncertainties regarding the quantity, chemical species and physical form of Hg
from both natural and industrial sources. Due to the toxicity and mobility of Hg,
production and its uses in society have been restricted in many countries.
However, its concentration in the atmosphere is still increasing by 0.6 to 1.5% a-I
(Expert Panel on Mercury Atmospheric Processes 1994; Sloss 1995). Recent
estimation indicates that the average concentration (natural + anthropogenic) of
Hg in the atmosphere is about 1.5 ng m-3, but global emissions have been
decreasing at the rate of 1.3% a-I since the beginning of the 1990S (Pirrone et al.
1996). As per the UN and the OECD action plans, this chemical should be phased
out from society within a short period of time; many countries have adopted the
agenda to reduce Hg emissions including the Nordic countries, Canada, the
United States and Japan (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 1994; Dyvik 1995).
Environmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
Q-j Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999
of Mercury Pollution in the Metallurgical Industry
A.B. MUKHERJEE
This report deals with the technology developed in the Nordic countries and in other parts of the
globe to abate mercury (Hg) pollution from the metallurgical industry. Hg, along with several other
chemicals, has received special attention due to its toxicity and bioaccumulation in the environment.
Hg is present as a trace constituent in sulphide minerals, coal and other raw materials. At higher
temperatures, it volatilizes and accompanies SO" thus combining with HLS0 4 and passing into the
environment. Much of this acid is used for the production of fertilizers, causing the entry of Hg into
the food web. There are 11 commercially known Hg removal processes from gases in the metallurgical
industry, of which 9 are examined here.
1
Introduction
Mercury has been known to society and used since neolithic times. This metal
attracts attention and concern due to its extreme toxicity, mobility, bioaccumulation, methylation processes and long-range transport in the atmosphere
(Fitzgerald and Clarkson 1991). In recent decades, high concentrations of Hg in
lake sediments and fish distant from point sources in the Nordic countries and
North America have been documented (Swain and Helwig 1989; Verta 1990; Rusk
and Verta 1995). Studies in Canada indicate that aboriginal people suffer from
methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning, which bioaccumulates in fish found downstream from historical Hg sources, in natural lakes and hydroelectric reservoirs
(Wheatley and Paradis 1995).
The cycling of Hg in the environment is extremely intricate and there are still
uncertainties regarding the quantity, chemical species and physical form of Hg
from both natural and industrial sources. Due to the toxicity and mobility of Hg,
production and its uses in society have been restricted in many countries.
However, its concentration in the atmosphere is still increasing by 0.6 to 1.5% a-I
(Expert Panel on Mercury Atmospheric Processes 1994; Sloss 1995). Recent
estimation indicates that the average concentration (natural + anthropogenic) of
Hg in the atmosphere is about 1.5 ng m-3, but global emissions have been
decreasing at the rate of 1.3% a-I since the beginning of the 1990S (Pirrone et al.
1996). As per the UN and the OECD action plans, this chemical should be phased
out from society within a short period of time; many countries have adopted the
agenda to reduce Hg emissions including the Nordic countries, Canada, the
United States and Japan (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 1994; Dyvik 1995).
Environmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
Q-j Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999