Concerns on liquid mercury and mercury-containing wastes: a review of the treatment technologies for the safe storage

Abstract

Due to the adverse effects of mercury on human health and the environment, restrictive legislations and world-wide common efforts are now under way to reduce both the supply and demand of mercury. As a result, all excess Hg must be stored in safe conditions in secure places. This paper is an attempt to review the various treatment technologies types of liquid mercury (Hg(0)) and mercury-containing wastes, which can be used to store these residues in a safe way. The different treatments were classified as a function of the waste treated. The main treatments described are amalgamation, formation of sulfides, thermal treatments, vitrification, soil washing, sulfur polymer stabilization solidification, chemically bonded phosphate ceramics and other encapsulation processes, being highlighted the stabilization/solidification processes that are the treatments that provide better results, according to the consulted bibliography.