MERCURY WASTE

MERCURY

Mercury, as with other heavy metals, can be absorbed or inhaled by humans at levels which exceed those acceptable minimum levels. Including direct contact with or being exposed to: vapours, dust, oils, fats and other chemical substances…

MAIN SOURCES OF WASTE

The principal sources of large volumes of liquid mercury waste are: the chlorine alkali industry, natural gas purification, non-ferrous mining and blast furnace foundry operations. Small quantities can also come from any industrial or urban sector, amalgams used for dental fillings, electronic waste, fluorescents and mercury vapour lamps, batteries, specific pharmaceutical products, pesticides, biocides, antiseptics and non-electronic medical apparatus.

mercurio

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK

There exists a legal framework regulating the impact that mercury has on health and the environment, The Minamata Convention. It is the first multilateral treaty concerning mercury regulation that pursues the limitation, at a global level, of the toxicity caused when this element is released into the environment.

At a European level there exists the Regulation (EU) 2017/852 from the European Parliament and Council, dated 17th May 2017, regarding mercury. The objective of said norm is to guarantee a high level of protection for health and the environment in the face of anthropogenic releases and emissions of mercury and other compounds where it is present. Restrictions have been established concerning the use of mercury in manufacturing processes, products and artisanal extractions and treatments.

This Regulation states that all necessary steps must be taken in order to guarantee an efficient tracking system throughout the entire mercury waste chain management. Furthermore, it imposes certain controls on the producers of mercury waste as well as the operators of waste management installations that store and treat said waste.

Logo Minamata Convention on Mercury

ADIEGO HERMANOS S.A.

Our Environmental Division has proposed and managed to provide a service to the producers who have waste containing these characteristics, via two direct solutions::

  • Mercury waste in small quantities, through its conditioning and storage at the authorised transfer centre in Zaragoza, as an initial step for its grouping and further transport to its final treatment in Switzerland.
  • Mercury waste in full loads, through its direct transfer to a treatment plant in Switzerland together with the necessary authorised export documentation for hazardous mercury waste.
Esquema gestion mercurio
contenedor de mercurio

MERCURY STORAGE

As we can see from the graphic in figure 2 it is the container that is used to store the mercury, subsequently removing it from the producer before sending it to the treatment plant.

OUR TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT WILL RESEARCH ALL AVAILABLE OPTIONS IN ORDER TO COVER YOUR NEEDS