This project is trying to understand the production, recycle, and reuse of mercury-containing wastes by literature research and visit to ask associated companies. It also collects the methods for stockpile management, clearance, treatment equipment, construction, and technical knowledge of mercury-containing wastes in other countries. To further improve our mercury-containing wastes management law and act and introduce the strategy for mercury source reduction, storage, and recycle system, the associated work results are described in brief as follows:
(1) Investigation of domestic mercury-containing wastes production, clearing, and reuse.
46 content analysis of companies and 30 samples are collected in this projects. Category of industry including 2 fluorescent lamp manufacturer, 19 LCD monitor manufacturer, 7 semi-conductor and printed circuit board factories, 1 electronic components manufacturer, 3 blood pressure monitor manufacturer, 4 waste treatment factories, 2 chemical laboratories, 3 medical industries, 3 coal-fired power plants, and 2 other chemical products industries. In accordance with the investigation report, the usage of mercury-containing substance (include mercury element and alloy) in domestic category of industry majority include fluorescent lamp, cold-cathode fluorescent lamp, blood pressure monitor, ketopinic acid manufacturer, and the usage of amalgam dental repair material. The mercury-containing wastes production in category of industry majority include semi-conductor, printed circuit board, electronic components manufacturer, and LCD monitor high-technology industries, and medical industries, power relay manufacturer, mercury containing switch and battery usage. However, because of mercury are contained in the fuel coal, the fly ash and municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash from coal-fired power plants and city garbage incinerator also could be a distribution of mercury source.
From the content industry analysis and literature research, the project has completed baseline data collection in mercury containing processing and wastes main industries. According to the baseline data assessments, the domestic mercury flowing is about 20313 Kg, among coal-fired power plants (6371 Kg), power relay manufacturer (3088 Kg), mercury thermometer and blood pressure monitor (3032 Kg)、 amalgam repair material (2860 Kg)、cold-cathode fluorescent lamp (1507 Kg)、fluorescent lamp (1449 Kg)、ketopinic acid (1043 Kg)、mercury containing battery (912 Kg). Because it is difficult to obtain the actual data from power relay mercury containing switch, and amalgam repair material, the project evaluate by United Nations Environment Programme suggested assessment factors, as a result, a possibility of overestimate is existed.
The projects based on the domestic situation in 2006 to establish mercury containing wastes producing manufacturer baseline. However, compare with other associated literature from United Nations Environment Programme, there are still certain parts category of industry not involved in this investigation. For example, the fuels power plants beside coal, primary metals industry, cement plant, pulping and papermaking, lime or other mineral production, insecticide, paint, pharmacological, pesticide manufacture, Mechanical-seal, cremate or mortician etc. For the reason, the establish of domestic mercury flowing baseline is still need Environment Programme to budget for investigation.
(2) Collect the foreign information about mercury-containing wastes storage, clearance, treatment and recycling associated equipment, facilities and technique.
This project has already collect arrangement mechanism, process, and technology with the mercury-containing wastes from three nations, which are Sweden, Germany and American. Among them, the Sweden is mainly by “phase-out mercury”, “collect waste mercury”, “terminal storage” to progress reducing mercury flow rate. Germany then makes the standard mainly aims at mercury recycling from waste fluorescent lamps before recycling glasses. Besides, it also request the further treatment of absolute hazardous wastes, include mercury contained-sludge, incineration pollutants in flue gas, used mercury containing element from vehicle, mercury containing battery. The American mainly by “Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act”, “mercury safe management practices”, “The National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (NVMSRP) ”, “state law“ to forbid for selling and using, enhance recycle system to control and restricted the use of mercury containing battery, rechargeable battery, mercury containing product, mercury containing switch, automatic control system for mercury containing light, anti-lock brake system, aeronautic system, mercury thermometer, etc.
This project also makes a proposal on treatment of mercury-containing wastes storage, clearance, treatment and recycling associated equipment, facilities and technique. Liquid mercury is recommended storage in the sealed glass bottle and store into stockpile (non-porous mercury resistant materials, such as iron, steel, and stainless steel), and establish fire detection systems, fire extinguishments, lighting devices, and emergency shower devices etc. Discard the mercury containing wastes in a sealed container and mark the wastes name on the top side of the container. Prepare the consolidated list of wastes and material safety data sheet in deliver process. Recommended using stabilization/solidification process to lowering hazardous, fluidity, Emitting, and lowering environmental damage when can not recycle of mercury. Focus on the recyclable part, it is recommended using thermal desorption/distillation process to isolate mercury from substrates that can effectively isolate and purify the mercury.
(3) Review the currently laws and acts related to mercury-containing wastes management.
Through industry analysis, this project has find the problem and give advice to the management of mercury containing wastes. Among them, ketopinic acid manufacturer have highest mercury consumption levels, therefore, it should continued to monitor and investigate their air, soil, groundwater pollutions with circumspection. The sources of mercury emission from coal-fired power plants is because mercury content in raw coal, therefore it is recommended entered a standard coal’s mercury level into procurement contract code, or advise to Environment Programme to bring high mercury containing fuel into high air pollution rate level issues. The mercury flowing rate of city garbage incinerator is correlated with mercury containing waste classification and recycles efficiency. Now waste batteries and waste fluorescent lamps are listed in the recycle issues. Next step should enhance the recycle of mercury thermometer, blood pressure monitor, power relay, and mercury containing switch. It has forbidden producing mercury thermometer in our country, import and selling has suggested to conditional restricted use that could not affect medical therapeutic quality. The use of mercury devices in medical units is still permit till the medical equipments license is out of date. There are many products could replace mercury thermometer but the users still considerable on the accuracy of such products because of the bureau of standard, metrology and inspection have not setup the standard examination method. There are no other suitable lamps could replace the mercury containing lamps, thus, the waste lamps recycle rate could affect the mercury flowing rate. Therefore, the environment protective low mercury containing lamps should to be encouraged to use, restrict mercury levels, and adoption with new mercury filling technology. In accordance with mercury containing switch and relay usage, it is recommended to take more effective control, including : increase the code control and declare, control the import controlled, labeled mercury containing mark on the products, and promoting recycle projects, etc.
Within the laws, the battery is one of the mercury containing products that controlled front-end manufacturing, importing, and selling. It is forbidden to produce mercury thermometer in our country start from January 1, 2008.
Beside on battery, the other mercury containing industrial waste chemical, fluorescent lamp, waste computer equipment also make the standard on storage, clearance, treatment and equipment in back-end manufacturing. Follow-up should firstly focus on the high level usage of uncontrolled mercury containing products including flue gas treatment associated products in coal-fired units, city garbage incinerator, mercury blood pressure monitor, relay, mercury containing switch, and amalgam dental repair material.
(4) Introduce the strategy for mercury source reduction, storage, recycle and clearance system
“Zero-waste” is the goal in this projects; it according to promoting the recycle and reuse plane for mercury containing wastes, characterize the mercury containing waste producing manufacturer, and planning a complete recycle system combine industry, school, and associated industry.
This project preliminarily offers a proposal to experiment. It needs to coordinate the front-end collection and back-end treatment mechanism, determine the plain in half year before collection, and setup completely in half year before collection. Should establish “working groups for promoting collection project” constitute by the environmental protection, the health supervisor organization and expert's scholar. In order to promoting the systemic recycling and treatment of mercury containing wastes, the promoting outlay is suggested to budget by government public affair planning.
