Practcal Sourcebook on

Mercury Storage and Disposal

Revised Draf (15.08.2014)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: ABOUT THE SOURCEBOOK p. 1
OVERVIEW: TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF MERCURY p. 2

1. TYPES AND SOURCES OF MERCURY WASTES p. 3
1.1. Sources of mercury supply p. 3
1.2. Excess mercury p. 4
1.3. Types of mercury waste p. 4
1.4. Sources of wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds p. 5
1.5. Sources of wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds p. 6
1.6. Sources of wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds p. 6
2. ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF MERCURY WASTES p. 7
2.1. Government or private stocks and primary mining p. 8
2.2. Spent mercury-added products p. 8
2.2.1. Dental amalgam p. 10
2.3. Point sources of emissions and releases p. 10
2.3.1. Mercury capture in non-ferrous-metals p. 12
2.4. Manufacturing processes in which mercury or mercury compounds are used p. 13
2.4.1. Decommissioning of mercury cell chlor-alkali facilites p. 14
3. TEMPORARY STORAGE, PACKAGING, TRANSPORT AND TRACEABILITY p. 15
3.1. Temporary storage p. 15
3.2. Packaging, transport, and traceability p. 17
4. TREATMENT p. 19
4.1. Recovery/recycling and extracton processes p. 19
4.2. Management of residues, emissions and releases during treatment p. 21
5. DISPOSAL OPTIONS p. 22
5.1. Stabilizaton/solidifcaton p. 22
5.2. Long-term storage/aboveground warehouse storage p. 24
5.3. Specially engineered landfll p. 26
5.4. Underground disposal p. 28
5.5. Export for environmentally sound disposal p. 30
5.6. Choosing disposal optons p. 32

GLOSSARY, ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS p. 33
REFERENCES p. 37
LIST OF BOXES
Box 1 Wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds p. 5
Box 2 Wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds p. 5
Box 3 Wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds p. 5
Box 4 Essental principles for the ESM of mercury wastes p. 7
Box 5 The efect of mercury control technology on output pathways p. 12
Box 6 Treatment of NFM ores and sludge contmainated with mercury in Japan p. 12
Box 7 Soil washing at a former waste processing and recycling facility p. 13
Box 8 Temporary storage of mercury-added products in the San Lazaro Hospital p. 15
Box 9 Temporary storage of mercury contaminated sludge on-site at a NFM plant p. 16
Box 10 Temporary storage in Las Caevas by Minas de Almaden (MAYASA) p. 16
Box 11 Mercury fasks and receptacle p. 17
Box 12 Plastc drum p. 17
Box 13 Steel barrel p. 17
Box 14 Transport of wastes consistng of mercury (US) p. 18
Box 15 Acceptance control p. 18
Box 16 The signifcance of traceability p. 18
Box 17 Rotary kiln p. 20
Box 18 The end-cut/air-push recycling process for linear fuorescent lamps p. 20
Box 19 Recycling of mercury-added bateries via the Sumitomo process p. 21
Box 20 Wastewater and gas treatment p. 21
Box 21 Stabilizaton p. 22
Box 22 Solidifcaton p. 22
Box 23 Sulphur stabilizaton of elemental mercury p. 22
Box 24 Stabilizaton and microencapsulaton of mercury wastes in a sulphur polymeric matrix p. 23
Box 25 The challenges associated with the long-term storage of stabilized mercury wastes p. 23
Box 26 US aboveground warehouse storage p. 24
Box 27 Specially Engineered landfll p. 27
Box 28 Prototype container potentally suited for permanent storage p. 28
Box 29 Underground disposal in salt mines (Germany) p. 29
Box 30 Export of mercury waste under the Basel Conventon p. 30
Box 31 Export of catalysts contaminated with mercury (Indonesia) p. 30
Box 32 Export of mercury-added fuorescent lamps for recycling (Philippines) p. 31
Box 33 Export of by-product mercury from a gold mine for stabilizaton and disposal (Peru) p. 32
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Overview: Towards environmentally sound storage and disposal of mercury p. 2
Figure 2 Potental sources of mercury supply p. 3
Figure 3 Excess mercury: Origin and development p. 4
Figure 4: Sources of wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds p. 5
Figure 5 Sources of wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds p. 6
Figure 6 Sources of wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds p. 6
Figure 7 ESM of wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds p. 7
Figure 8 ESM of mercury-added products p. 8
Figure 9 ESM of amalgam and dental amalgam wastes p. 10
Figure 10 ESM of point sources of emissions of mercury and mercury compounds p. 11
Figure 11 Process fow and fate of mercury in NFM processing p. 12
Figure 12 ESM in manufacturing processes using mercury or mercury compounds p. 13
Figure 13 Preparaton for permanent storage of metallic mercury and site remediaton p. 14
Figure 14 Basic steps in the recovery/recycling and treatment of mercury wastes p. 19
Figure 15 Potental efects and benefts of S/S p. 22
Figure 16 Disposal optons for stabilized/solidifed mercury wastes p. 23
Figure 17 Eligibility of mercury wastes for disposal in a SEL p. 26
Figure 18 Eligibility of mercury wastes for disposal in a SEL p. 26
Figure 19 Eligibility of mercury wastes for underground disposal p. 27

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Challenges and opportunites associated with aboveground warehouse storage p. 25
Table 2 Eligibility criteria for landfll disposal in the EU and the US p. 26
Table 3 Challenges and opportunites associated with storing mercury wastes in SELs p. 27
Table 4 Challenges and opportunites associated with the permanent storage underground of mercury p. 29
Introducton: About the Sourcebook

What is the audience?
The main target audience of the Practcal Sourcebook on Mercury Storage and Disposal are policy and decision-
makers involved in the management of mercury waste, partcularly in developing countries and countries with
economies in transiton. Meanwhile, the Sourcebook may also serve as a useful reference for other stakeholders
involved in the management of mercury wastes, including from non-governmental organizatons, industry, and civil
society.

What is the purpose?
The overall objectve is to enhance the capacity of governments and other relevant stakeholders to store and
dispose mercury wastes in an environmentally sound manner. The Sourcebook aims to do so by providing
informaton on the optons and technologies that are available as well as by highlightng important policy and legal
consideratons. This document is envisaged to address practcal questons such as: What kind of mercury wastes
exist? Where are they generated? How can mercury wastes be treated, recovered and recycled? Which optons are
available for the temporary storage and (fnal) disposal of mercury wastes? The Sourcebook synthesizes existng
knowledge in the feld of temporary storage and (fnal) disposal to provide answers to these questons. In doing so ,
the Sourcebook will allow relevant stakeholders to make informed choices and ensure the environmentally sound
management of mercury wastes. In doing so, the Sourcebook also aims to assist in the (early) implementaton of
the Minamata Conventon on Mercury, in partcular Artcle 11 on mercury wastes.

What is the format?
The Sourcebook is a practcal introducton to mercury storage and disposal. It is not a detailed technical guidance.
Other sources, such as the Basel Conventons technical guidelines for the environmentally sound management of
mercury wastes are available for this purpose and are cross-referenced in this document. The Sourcebook can thus
be seen as an entry point.

What is the scope?
The focus is on the storage and disposal of mercury wastes. However, storage and disposal cannot be understood
in isolaton. Rather, it is necessary to take a holistc approach towards mercury waste management. To the extent
possible, the Sourcebook therefore also discusses the types and sources of mercury wastes, mercury capture,
separaton and collecton, handling and transport, recovery and recycling, and treatment.

Which aspects are not covered?
The Sourcebook does not go into detail regarding the waste preventon dimension. The queston of mercury-free
alternatves and similar issues are not discussed.

What is the relatonship with other documents and processes?
As a project of the Global Mercury Partnership, the Sourcebook builds upon the waste management, storage and
disposal projects implemented in the respectve Partnership areas as well as the studies, guidance and informaton
materials disseminated by the Partnership. The Sourcebook aims to operatonalize existng technical guidance
documents, such as the Basel Technical Guidelines on the environmentally sound management of mercury wastes.
1
Figure 1: Overview: Towards environmentally sound storage and disposal of mercury
Make an inventory
Sources of mercury supply
Sources of wastes containing or contaminated
with mercury or mercury compounds
Mercury or mercury
compounds
Waste?
Wastes consistng of mercury
or mercury compounds
Wastes containing or contaminated with
mercury or mercury compounds
Commodity mercury
Interim storage
Manage in an environmentally sound manner
Yes No
Sell or export for
an allowed use
Long-term storage/
aboveground
warehouse storage
Specially
engineered landfll
Stabilizaton/
solidifcaton
Underground
disposal
Export
Extract?
Yes
No
Go to mercury
or mercury
compounds
Eligible for
disposal?
Yes No
Temporary storage
Extracton
Yes
Temporary storage
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
2
Overview: Towards environmentally sound storage and disposal of mercury wastes
3
Chapter 1: Types and Sources of Mercury Wastes
In order to gain a full understanding of the storage and disposal of mercury wastes, it is necessary to understand
what types of mercury wastes exist and where they come from. Since waste consistng of mercury is mercury that
has been classifed as waste, the sources of mercury supply will be discussed frst. As an inital step, It is
recommended for governments to make an inventory. The inventory will allow targeted acton and form the basis
of measures to be taken subsequently. Data should be gathered on the following:
i) Mercury supply and demand fows (including trade)
ii) Mercury emissions and releases
iii) Types, volumes and fate of mercury wastes as well as their owners/generators
iv) Present and future stocks of excess mercury
In order to assist governments and stakeholders, UNEP developed the Toolkit for identfcaton and quantfcaton
of mercury releases, available at: htp://www.unep.org/chemicalsandwaste/Mercury/MercuryPublicatons/
GuidanceTrainingMaterialToolkits/MercuryToolkit/tabid/4566/language/en-US/Default.aspx. (ref. 1)
Under the Minamata Conventon, Partes shall endeavour to identfy sources
of mercury supply generatng stocks exceeding 10 metric tons per year that
are located within its territory (Artcle 3 paragraph 5 (a)). (ref. 2)
There are several potental sources of mercury supply (see fgure 2):
Mercury may become available from manufacturing processes in which
mercury and mercury compounds are used, be recovered from end-of-life
mercury-added products or wastes contaminated with mercury, or be
Excess mercury from
manufacturing processes in
which mercury or mercury
compounds are used
Primary mercury mining
Mercury and mercury
compounds from industrial
processes with mercury
impurites in the raw material
Government or private stocks
Mercury recovered from
wastes containing or
contaminated with mercury
Figure 2: Potental sources of mercury supply (compiled based on refs. 3, 4)
Mercury supply
It should be noted that some of these sources may generate mercury compounds, rather than elemental mercury.
In such cases, the compounds may have to be treated in order to recover the elemental mercury. Further,
elemental mercury may need to be purifed, whether for future use or disposal
With the switch to more efcient and environmentally sound alternatves and the restrictons on uses imposed by
natonal law or the Minamata Conventon, demand for mercury is decreasing. Supply from some sources will also
cease: Under the Minamata Conventon, mercury from the decommissioning of mercury cell chlor alkali facilites
may only be used to meet demand within the sector; any excess must be disposed of in an environmentally sound
manner (ESM) (Artcle 3 paragraph 5 (b)). Primary mercury mining is to be phased out within 15 years of the
1.1. Sources of
mercury supply
recovered during the processing of raw materials with mercury impurites (such as non-ferrous metals (NFM) (e.g.
zinc) or natural gas). Existng stocks and mercury from primary mining are further potental sources. (refs. 3, 4)
Potental sources of mercury and mercury compounds
Natonal/regional/
global supply
Figure 3: Excess mercury: Origin and development (adapted from refs. 9, 10)
Excess = necessary
storage/disposal
capacity

Natonal/regional/
global demand



Development over tme
Excess (or surplus) mercury is the amount of natonal, regional or global
mercury supply that exceeds natonal, regional or global demand for use in
products and processes (see fgure 3). (refs. 8, 9, 10)
The amount of excess mercury will determine the capacity needed for
environmentally sound storage/disposal (refs. 8, 9, 10). As mercury is a
naturally occuring element, it cannot be destroyed. When it is excess, it must
be stored safely or transformed to a form with minimal mobility, and reliably
sequestered from the environment. Sufcient capacites for treatment, storage and disposal should therefore be in
place. It has been estmated that 30,000-50,000 tons of excess mercury will become available globally by 2050
(refs. 5, 6, 7, 11, 12).
1.2. Excess mercury
1.3. Types of
mercury wastes
The Basel Conventons Technical Guidelines for the environmentally sound
management of wastes consistng of elemental mercury and wastes
containing or contaminated with mercury and the Minamata Conventon on
Mercury identfy three categories of mercury wastes: Wastes consistng of
mercury or mercury compounds, wastes containing mercury or mercury
compounds and wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury
compounds (see boxes 1, 2 and 3). (ref. 13)
It should be noted that wastes contaminated with mercury and wastes containing mercury mainly difer in their
origin, not necessarily in their mercury content. Normally, one would expect that wastes containing mercury has a
higher mercury concentraton than waste contaminated with mercury, however, counterexamples exist. Further
informaton on the various types of mercury wastes is available in the Basel Technical Guidelines.
4
Conventons entry into force for the party in queston (Artcle 3 paragraph 4). Meanwhile, several of the sources
listed above will contnue to be a source of mercury. Excess mercury may therefore become available. (refs. 5, 6, 7)
Excess mercury: Origin and development



Wastes consistng of
mercury or mercury
compounds
Include elemental mercury and mercury compounds recovered
from waste containing or contaminated with mercury as well as
surplus stock of elemental mercury and mercury compounds
designated as waste.
Box 3: Wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds (ref. 14)
5
Box 2: Wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds (ref. 14)
Box 1: Wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds (ref. 14)
In order for a waste to classify as mercury waste for the purpose of the Minamata Conventon (Artcle 11), it must:
i) Contain mercury or mercury compounds in a quantty above the relevant thresholds to be defned by the
Conference of the Partes (COP) of the Minamata Conventon, and
ii) be disposed of, intended to be disposed of or required to be disposed of by the provisions of natonal law or
the Minamata Conventon.
Mercury and mercury compounds are supplied from the sources listed on page
3. They can either be:
i) classifed as commodity for a use allowed under natonal law and the
Minamata Conventon (manufacturing of mercury-added products in acc.
with Artcle 4 or in manufacturing processes in acc. with Artcle 5), or
ii) classifed as waste and managed in an environmentally sound manner
(ESM) in accordance with natonal law and Artcle 11 of the Minamata
Conventon (see fgure 4).
This decision may be determined by the (non-)existence and scale of excess mercury supply, the infrastructure
available for the management of mercury wastes, cost calculatons, relevant internatonal rules and obligatons,
and other consideratons. It is recommended for governments to establish clear rules regarding the classifcaton of
mercury as waste or commodity. Countries may, for instance, decide, consistent with internatonal laws and
obligatons, that mercury from specifc sources is not allowed to enter the market.
1.4. Sources of
wastes consistng of
mercury or mercury
compounds
Mercury
supply
Waste?
Wastes consistng of mercury
or mercury compounds
Mercury other than waste
mercury
No
Yes
ESM
Allowed uses
Figure 4: Sources of wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds
Wastes containing
mercury or mercury
compounds
Include wastes of mercury-added products that easily release
mercury into the environment when they are broken, wastes of
other mercury-added products and stabilized or solidifed wastes
containing mercury
Wastes contaminated
with mercury or
mercury compounds
Include residues generated from mining processes, industrial
processes, or waste treatment processes. Examples are debris and
contaminated soil, mercury loaded actvated carbon, sludges,
tailings, and waste rock
Picture: Sludge contaminated with mercury
(Courtesy: Kummel Consultng AB)
Sources of wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds
Extracton and use of
fuels/energy sources
(e.g. natural gas)
Primary and
secondary metal
producton (e.g. zinc)
Crematoria and
cemetaries
Primary mercury
mining
Waste (co-) incineraton,
landflling, and
wastewater treatment
Producton processes
with mercury impurites
(e.g. cement)
Intentonal use of
mercury in industrial
producton (e.g. VCM)
Artsanal and small-
scale gold mining
(ASGM)
6
Stabilized/solidifed
mercury
Waste containing mercury and
mercury compounds
Potental sources of wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds
Some measuring devices
(e.g. thermometers,
sphygmomanometers)
Some switches and
relays
Some types of
lamps
Mercury-added
bateries
Some pestcides
and biocides
Some cosmetcs
(e.g. skin creams)
Dental amalgam
Figure 5: Sources of wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds (compiled based on ref. 13)
Figure 6: Sources of wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds (compiled based on refs. 1, 13)
Waste containing mercury and
mercury compounds
Potental sources of wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds
Wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds mainly come in the form
of end-of-life mercury-added products and applicatons, but also include
stabilized/solidifed mercury (see fgure 5). (refs. 9, 13)
It should be noted that this list is not exhaustve. For further informaton ,
see: htp://www.epa.gov/mercury/consumer.htm or htp://www.epa.gov/
mercury/consumer.htm (refs. 15, 16)
1.5. Sources of
wastes containing
mercury or mercury
compounds
Wastes contaminated with mercury are mainly generated via industrial
processes with mercury impurites (e.g. natural gas) and industrial
processes with intentonal use of mercury (e.g. vinyl chloride monomer
(VCM)) (see fgure 6). (refs. 1, 13)
Some sources (e.g. primary mining or chlor-alkali) may generate both
wastes consistng of elemental mercury and wastes contaminated with
mercury.
1.6. Sources of wastes
contaminated with
mercury or mercury
compounds
7
Chapter 2: Environmentally Sound Management of Mercury Wastes
This Chapter illustrates the basic optons that are available to ensure the environmentally sound storage and
disposal of mercury wastes for important source categories.
The Basel Conventon defnes ESM as taking all practcable steps to ensure that hazardous wastes or other
wastes are managed in a manner which will protect human health and the environment against the adverse
efects which may result from such wastes (Artcle 2 paragraph 8). (ref. 17)
As basic principles of ESM, mercury wastes:
should not be mixed with other wastes (where regulaton prescribes the recovery of mercury above a
certain threshold, some may be motvated to circumvent such regulaton by dilutng the waste);
should not be discarded in uncontrolled landflls; and
should not be (co-)incinerated without dedicated fue gas controls. (refs. 13, 18)
Box 4: Essental principles for the ESM of mercury wastes
ESM of mercury wastes under the Minamata Conventon:
Under the Minamata Conventon, all types of mercury wastes must be managed in an ESM (Artcle 11), taking into
account the guidelines developed under the Basel Conventon and in accordance with requirements that the
Conference of the Partes (COP) of the Minamata Conventon will adopt. The Party then has three optons:
i) Recover, recycle, reclaim or directly re-use the waste for a use allowed to a Party under the Conventon;
ii) treat and dispose of the mercury waste in an ESM; or
iii) export the waste for mercury recovery and reuse or for environmentally sound treatment and disposal in
conformity with the Basel Conventon (for Partes to the Basel Conventon) or afer taking into account
relevant internatonal rules, standards, and guidelines (where the Basel Conventon does not apply).

Countries should carefully consider these alternatve approaches to mercury waste management in light of the
types and amounts of mercury waste they generate, and their practcal capacity to manage it in an
environmentally sound manner. Many countries may not have adequately controlled mercury retort/recovery
units, stabilizaton treatment capacity that refects the latest science, or specially engineered landflls for treated
waste fnal disposal. Where these resources are absent or limited, export for ESM management to countries with
such capabilites should be considered, to avoid site contaminaton and possible exposures resultng from
inadequate handling.
The selecton of management optons discussed for specifc waste streams in this chapter is, among others,
dependent on the following variables:
Countries vary in their capabilites and capacity to manage their mercury wastes. Those without adequate
capacity may need to identfy countries capable of ensuring ESM and export their mercury wastes.
Diferent types of mercury waste may require diferent management. For example, in most cases, liquid
wastes (including elemental mercury) must be stabilized/solidifed prior to disposal
Technical feasibility of recovering waste consttuents and availability and costs of the process
The value of/whether there is a market for the recoverable components (including mercury)
Concentraton of mercury in the waste: A level may be set above which mercury waste should undergo
recovery. For some wastes, the concentraton may be too low to allow cost-efectve extracton.
2.1. Government or
private stocks and
primary mining
If government or private stocks of mercury and mercury from primary
mining is classifed as waste, it becomes waste consistng of mercury. The
temporary storage of such wastes should be done in an environmentally
sound manner (see p. 15).
The following optons are then available to ensure environmentally sound
storage and disposal (fgure 7):
i) Long-term storage in aboveground facilites (see p. 24) untl treatment technologies and/or disposal
optons are available. The wastes should be of very high purity. The waste is thus removed from the market,
but not from the biopsphere.
ii) Disposal in specially engineered landflls (SELs) (see p. 26) or underground facilites (see p. 28) following
prior stabilizaton/solidifcaton (S/S) (see p. 22). This fnal disposal removes the waste from the biosphere.
S/S processes may be available only in some countries.
ii) Export for environmentally sound disposal (see p. 30) is recommended if treatment processes and disposal
optons are not domestcally available. Export must be followed by i) or ii). The importng country must have
the infrastructure to guarantee ESM and permit the import according to its natonal legislaton.
Removal from the
market
Removal from the
biosphere
Treatment
S/S
Wastes
consistng of
mercury
Underground
disposal
Specially
engineered landfll
Temporary
storage
Aboveground
warehouse
storage
Export for
environmentally
sound disposal
Primary mercury
mining
Government or
private stocks
Figure 7: ESM of wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds (adapted and compiled from refs. 9, 13, 18, 19, 20)
A critcal step in the management of spent mercury-added products is
collecton and separaton. Without adequate collecton and separaton
schemes, most of the mercury-added products will end up with the
municipal waste and might be incinerated without adequate emission
controls or dumped in uncontrolled landflls.
It is recommended for consumers and waste generators to store spent
mercury-added products only for a limited tme, as allowed by natonal
2.2. Spent mercury-
added products
Standards (ref. 13). The following optons are available to ensure ESM of spent mercury-added products:
i) Recovery/recycling (see p. 19): Mercury-added products can be recycled in facilites which ofen use
specialized processes depending on the specifc product. The various components are separated and
decontaminated (for instance glass, phosphor powder and metals in the case of fuorescent lamps) and the
mercury extracted. Recovered mercury may be re-used for allowed uses or should otherwise be disposed of
in an ESM.
8
ii) Export for recovery/recycling: This opton is recommended for countries where recycling technologies are
not (yet) domestcally available.
For spent mercury-added products, landfll disposal without prior treatment is not recommended, as mercury can
easily be released into the environment. Stabilizaton/solidifcaton is also not recommended because it
signifcantly increases the waste volume and does not allow the possibility of re-using valuable components. Figure
8 illustrates the steps towards the ESM of spent mercury-added products. (refs. 3, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
It is recommended to implement approaches such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in order to recover
the costs for the ESM of mercury-added products. EPR is an environmental policy approach in which a producers
responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a products life cycle.
Recovered mercury
See fgure 4 on p. 5
Residues contaminated
with mercury
Mercury-free materials
Re-use
See fgure 10 on p. 11
Spent mercury-added products from large-scale
generators (e.g. hospitals, schools, supermarkets)
Spent mercury-added products from small-scale
generators (e.g. households, small businesses)
Collecton at:
i) Drop-of depots
ii)Public places or shops
iii)Households by collectors
Environmentally
sound
temporary
storage on-site
Export for recovery/
recycling
Transport to centralized facility for
collecton and temporary storage
pending recovery/recycling
Recovery/recycling
Landfll disposal
without treatment
Uncontrolled disposal in
muniipal waste
Figure 8: ESM of mercury-added products (compiled based on (refs. 13, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
9
Further informaton, including on collecton schemes, is available in the Basel Technical Guidelines. For a number of
examples on efectve collecton schemes, consult the Good Practces for Management of Mercury Releases from
Waste, available at: htp://www.unep.org/chemicalsandwaste/Portals/9/Mercury/Documents/INC2/
Good_practces_Oct2010.pdf (ref. 27). For informaton on the management of mercury-added lamps, see
Achieving the Global Transiton to Energy Efcient Lightng Toolkit, available at: htp://www.enlighten-
initatve.org/ (ref. 28).
10
Globally, approximately 300 tons of mercury are released into the
environment from dental amalgam every year (ref. 29), among others due to
the unsound disposal of removed fllings. Dental amalgam can instead be
recycled (see Figure 9). This is economically benefcial, most notably due to
the silver that is recovered.
Another factor is the lack of best practces in dental clinics. For instance, the
use of amalgam separators is an important means of capturing mercury. Separators can be recycled. It is also
recommended to train dental professionals in the environmentally sound management of dental amalgam. Dental
teaching insttutons may need to review and revise their curriculum. Another issue is the potental diversion of
mercury that has been imported through legal channels for legitmate use in dental amalgam to artsanal and small
-scale gold mining (ASGM). It is recommended to use amalgam capsules instead of bulk mercury. By observing these
steps, releases to air, water and soil can be avoided. (refs. 30, 31, 32)
2.2.1. Dental
amalgam
Dental clinic
Other amalgam waste (e.g. non-
contact amalgam)
Suppliers
Avoid diversion
Excess amalgam waste in
discharge
Removed fllings
Use capsules
Figure 9: ESM of amalgam and dental amalgam wastes (compiled based on refs. 13, 18, 29, 30, 31, 32)
Send to recycler or for environ-
mentally sound disposal
Send to recycler
Install amalgam separator
Collect, package and label appropriately and ensure environmentally
sound temporary storage at the dental clinic
2.3. Point sources of
emissions and
releases
Mercury is present as an impurity in non-ferrous metal (NFM) ores, natural
gas, mineral oil and coal. When these crude resources are processed,
mercury may be mobilized and released into the environment. This makes
industrial processes with mercury impurites an important source of
emissions and releases as well as wastes contaminated with mercury.
(refs. 33, 34, 35) Dedicated technologies to capture and recover mercury
from the gas and liquid phase are available (ref. 36) (see p. 12).
Recovered mercury can be sold for allowed uses or otherwise be disposed of safely. In NFM, mercury is ofen
recovered as calomel. As previously noted, such compounds, may need to undergo prior treatment. (ref. 33)
The ofen large amounts of wastes contaminated with mercury should be managed in an environmentally sound
manner. The respective facilities may have on-site capacity to recover or, where appropriate, treat and dispose it. It
is recommended for governments to ensure the availability of downstream management options (qualified
hazardous waste treatment facilities etc.) (ref. 33). In short, the following optons are available for wastes
contaminated with mercury (see Figure 10 on p. 11):
i) Recovery/recycling or environmentally sound treatment and disposal: The aim is to separate the mercury
from other components to decontaminate the waste. Various processes are available and may allow re-use of
the components. However, depending on the waste and the technology used, it may be difcult to achieve
sufciently low levels. Contaminated fractons and residues have to be properly disposed of.
ii) Disposal in specially engineered landflls or underground facilites: This opton is available following S/S. S/
S processes are available for wastes contaminated with mercury, but may be cost-prohibitve for large waste
volumes Direct disposal may be permissible if the wastes are treated to meet natonal acceptance criteria.
iii) Export for recovery/recycling or for environmentally sound treatment and disposal
Wastes are ofen deposited on-site, e.g. in tailing heaps or waste dumps. BATs and BEPs should be employed for on-
site waste management. Measures include precipitatng mercury as stable compounds, lining and covering the
waste deposit area, and others (refs. 87, 88). The sites will eventually have to be remediated (see p. 13).
Export for
recovery or
environmentally
sound disposal
Recovery/recycling
or treatment
Elemental
mercury
See fgure 4 on p. 5
Underground
disposal
Specially
engineered
landfll
Residues
contaminated
with mercury
Mercury-free
materials
Re-use
Solid and liquid wastes contaminated with
mercury (e.g. fy ash, wastewater, sludge)
See fgure 4 on p. 5
Environmentally sound temporary storage on-site
Figure 10: ESM of point sources of emissions of mercury and mercury compounds (compiled based on refs. 13, 18, 33, 34, 35, 36)
Go to top
Recovered mercury or
mercury compounds
Extracton and use of fuels/
energy sources (e.g. natural gas)
Primary and secondary metal
producton (e.g. zinc)
Producton processes with
mercury impurites (e.g. cement)
Ensure dedicated mercury control technologies are in place (BATs and BEPs)
Eligible for disposal?
No Yes
S/S
Contaminated sites
See fgure 12 on p. 13
11
12
Others: 51%
Waste:
29% Sulphuric
acid: 10%
Air: 8%
Water: 2%
Waste: 35%
Sulphuric acid: 4%
Air: 1%
Others: 2%
Recovered by-product
mercury: 58%
Use of dedicated mercury
control technologies, such as:
Mercury condenser
Boliden-Norzink
Outokumpu
Bolkem
Merucry output pathways for a smelter without
dedicated technology for mercury control

Mercury output pathways for a smelter with
dedicated technology for mercury control
Box 5: The efect of mercury control technology on output pathways (ref. 33)
Figure 11: Process fow and fate of mercury in NFM processing with dedicated mercury control (based on refs. 35, 37, 89).
Simplifed process fow and mercury fate for combined pyro- and
hydrometallurgical processing with dedicated mercury control

Box 6: Treatment of NFM ores and sludge contmainated with mercury in Japan
Japanese legislaton requires zinc and copper refneries to send their ores to a
government endorsed facility for extracton of the mercury prior to processing. The
facility also receives and treats sludge contaminated with mercury. The waste is
treated via roastng in a multple hearth furnace (photo). This includes fue gas
cleaning via condensaton, scrubbing, electrical dust collecton and adsorpton
through actvated carbon. Emissions are contnuously monitored and a limit is set at
0.04mg/m3N. Decontaminated valuable materials are sent back to refneries. (ref. 18)
Courtesy: Nomura
Kohsan Co. Ltd.
Environmentally sound storage and disposal can only be implemented if
mercury impurites in industrial processes are frst captured. This secton
aims to illustrate merucry capture with the example of NFM producton.
Depending on the specifc processes used, mercury may be released in
gaseous form, remain in liquid and solid wastes or be trapped in sulphuric
acid which is generated as a by-product. Figure 11 shows the fow and the
fate of mercury in a plan with combined pyrometallurgical processing and dedicated mercury control technology.
Dedicated mercury control has a strong infuence on the output pathways. In the lef pie chart (Box 5), others
indicates unaccounted mercury that has been lost in the process. Emissions are signifcant. As the pie chart on the
right shows, mercury-specifc controls are capable of capturing most of the mercury and minimizing releases.
2.3.1. Mercury
capture in non-
ferrous metals
13
2.4. Manufacturing
processes in which
mercury or mercury
compounds are used
Mercury should be captured and wastes contaminated with mercury managed in an ESM. (ref. 39)
VCM producton, acetaldehyde producton in which mercury or mercury compounds are used as a catalyst,
sodium or potassium methylate or ethylate, producton of polyurethane using mercury containing catalysts
Solid and
liquid wastes
contaminated
with meruy
Contaminated soil and sediment
See fgure 10
on p. 11
On-site treatment
(e.g.
phytoextracton, in
-situ stabilizaton,
vitrifcaton)
On-site treatment
(e.g. acid
extracton, ,
retortng,
vitrifcaton)
Contaminated (ground)water
On-site treatment
(e.g. (co-)
precipitaton,
membrane
fltraton)
Of-site treatment
(e.g. biological
treatment)
Recovered
mercury
See fgure 4
on p. 5
Residues
contaminated with
low levels of mercury
See fgure 10 on p. 11
Decontaminated soil,
treated efuent etc.
Re-use (e.g.
as backfll)
Dispose
Manufacturing processes with intentonal uses of mercury or mercury
compounds (notably VCM, acetaldehyde, sodium/potassium methylate/
ethylate or polyurethane producton) may be a source of mercury
emissions and releases. In VCM producton, for instance, some of the
mercury is lost in the catalyst during processing. (refs. 34, 35, 38)
It is recommended to use best available techniques (BATs) and best
environmental practces (BEPs) to avoid such emissions and releases.
Figure 12: ESM in manufacturing processes using mercury or mercury compounds (refs. 13, 18, 40)
Soil washing at a former waste processing and recycling facility (US)
Mercury-contaminated soil, sludge and sediment from a former waste processing and recycling facility was treated
using soil washing. The treatment reduced concentratons of inorganic mercury from 100 mg/kg to 1 mg/kg.
Residual sludges were disposed of-site as non-hazardous waste, and the treated soil was used as backfll. (ref. 40)
Box 7: Soil washing at a former waste processing and recycling facility
Similar to many of the sources discussed previously, manufacturing processes with intentonal mercury uses may
generate sites contaminated with mercury. These may also be found at hazardous waste processing and recycling
facilites. The surface and sub-soil, sediment, groun and washing water should be adequately treated. A number
of processes are available for on and of-site treatment (see fgure 12) (ref. 40). Under the Minamata Conventon,
Partes are encouraged to identfy, assess, priotze, manage and, as appropriate remediate contminated sites
(Artcle 12).
Excess
mercury
See
fgure 4
on p. 5
and
fgure
13 on
p. 14
Figure 13: Preparaton for permanent storage of metallic mercury and site remediaton (refs. 42, 43, 44, 45))
Detailed guidance documents have been developed by the World Chlorine Council/Euro Chlor. These are available
at htp://www.unep.org/chemicalsandwaste/Mercury/PrioritesforActon/ChloralkaliSector/Reports/tabid/4495/
language/en-US/Default.aspx. Updated materials will soon be available at htp://www.worldchlorine.org.
14
Mercury cell chlor-alkali facilites which close or convert to alternatve
technologies may have signifcant amounts of surplus mercury requiring
ESM. Under the Minamata Conventon, where a Party determines the
mercury from decommissioning is excess, it shall dispose such mercury in
an environmentally sound manner (Artcle 3).
A number of preparatory steps are necessary prior to decommissioning.
This includes the preparaton of a well documented plan of acton to be
approved by the authorites, identfcaton of downstream management optons, and provision of equipment for
mercury handling, including storage containers. Decommissioning can be grouped into the following three areas:
i) Treatment and disposal of mercury contaminated waste
ii) Recovery and storage/disposal of excess elemental mercury
iii) Site remediaton (see fgure 13)
Liquid
from the
cells
Sludge
and
solid
Retortng
Elemental mercury
Purifcaton
Transfer into adequate containers and ship
of-site for storage/treatment/disposal
Liquid from
pipes and
botom of tanks
Transfer into
empty cell
Excess mercury
stored at the
plant
Sell/re-use
Determine the quantty of mercury to be recovered
Excess?
Yes
No
Closure/conversion of (a) mercury cell CA facility(ies)
Waste
Sell/re-use within CA
sector, in accordance
with natonal law
Make a survey of all plants, buildings and
associated equipment to be
decontaminated and/or demolished
Contaminated equipment, building,
surface soil, sub-soil, washing water and
groundwater
On- or of-site treatment and
decontaminaton (e.g. in-situ vitrifcaton,
water washing, retortng) as far as
reasonably practcable
Decontamina-
ted parts
Re-use Dispose
Contaminated
residues
See fgure 10
on p. 11
See fgure 7 on p. 8
2.4.1.
Decommissioning of
mercury cell chlor-
alkali facilites
Temporary storage of mercury-added products in the San Lazaro Hospital (Philippines)
In response to an administratve order mandatng gradual phase-out of mercury in the Philippine health care
sector, the San Lazaro Hospital established a mercury management team, among others responsible for the safe
temporary storage of spent mercury-added measuring devices and fuorescent lamps. Safety measures were
implemented to comply with the Department of Healths Guidelines on Interim Storage of Mercury Devices.
Placed in the original
box and sealed with
duct tape
Wrapped in a labelled
plastc bag as primary
container
Placed in a labelled
secondary container
and sealed with duct
tape
Stored in dedicated
facility in distance of
patents area and
ofces
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3 Step 4
Courtesy all pictures: Karen Abejar, Arago
15
Box 8: Temporary storage of mercury-added products in the San Lazaro Hospital (Philippines) (refs. 46, 47)
Chapter 3: Temporary storage, handling, transport and traceability
Temporary storage means putng mercury wastes in a place where it will not
contaminate the environment and can easily be moved/retrieved for later
disposal operatons. It is limited in tme and should be undertaken in an
ESM. (refs. 13, 20)
Temporary storage serves to store mercury wastes pending further
collecton, treatment, disposal or export. It may therefore occupy a
partcularly central positon for countries lacking the necessary infrastructure to ensure the environmentally sound
treatment and disposal of mercury wastes. Thus, temporary storage may serve to collect mercury waste before it is
exported for environmentally sound disposal operatons or it may be used as a temporary measure untl
domestc optons are available.
Artcle 10 of the Minamata Conventon covers the interim storage of mercury other than waste mercury. While this
secton covers the temporary storage of mercury wastes, the same precautons should be observed regardless of
whether mercury is stored as a commodity or as a waste.
Environmentally sound temporary storage is practced in a number of setngs which should be ft for the various
waste streams to be stored:
i) In public insttutons (e.g. schools, hospitals) (see box 8): It is recommended to store spent mercury-added
products only for a short period of tme and send them to centralized facilites or directly for recycling.
Storage should be in a secure outdoor locaton, if possible, to prevent exposures to mercury that may be
released from mercury devices that are broken during handling. (ref. 13)
ii) On-site at industrial facilites (see box 9 on p. 16): Wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury
compounds as well as by-product or excess mercury generated by industry are typically stored on-site, e.g. in
tailing heaps or warehouses (ref. 33). In order to avoid emissions and releases, governments should ensure
that on-site storage is practced in an ESM and that downstream management optons are available.
3.1. Temporary
storage
iii) In centralized facilites/hazardous waste recycling plants: Mercury wastes from households, public
insttutons and industry can be collected in centralized facilites that are also used for other hazardous
wastes. Where available, most types of mercury wastes can be directly sent to recycling/treatment plants.
iv) In a dedicated facility (see box 10): Governments may wish to establish dedicated facilites for collecton and
temporary storage of mercury wastes, especially for larger quanttes from industry. It is recommended for
such facilites to be (a) located close to large waste generators, provided low populaton density around the
site, and (b) well-connected to the transportaton network and treatment or disposal facilites.
Temporary storage of mercury contaminated sludge at a non-ferrous metals plant ( Japan)
Packaging: The sludge
is put in a double
plastc bag, placed in a
stainless steel drum
and properly labeled.
Storage and transportaton: The
drums are kept and collected in
an indoor warehouse untl they
are sent to a dedicated mercury
treatment facility by truck and a
railroad container.
Both pictures courtesy: Japan Mining Industry Associaton
Temporary storage should be done in compliance with technical requirements (such as the use of vapor detecton
instruments) including relevant internatonal standards and regulatons and natonal law (ref. 13). Detailed
technical informaton on the sitng, design and operaton of temporary storage facilites is available in the Basel
Technical Guidelines (para 139147). Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) and the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) developed guidance on cleanup, temporary or intermediate storage, and transport of mercury waste from
healthcare facilites available at: htp://www.gefmedwaste.org/downloads/Guidance%20on%20Cleanup%
20Storage%20and%20Transport%20of%20Mercury%20from%20Health%20Care%20July%202010.pdf.
Temporary storage in Las Cuevas by Minas de Almaden (MAYASA) (Spain)
MAYASA, a former primary mining company, is storing wastes consistng of mercury in an old vehicle maintenance
hangar which was retrofted for this purpose.
1: The six stainless steel storage tanks for liquid mercury
2: The current warehouse for the handling of mercury fasks and
large mercury vessels
Courtesy: MAYASA
The elemental mercury is of 99.9% purity.
A safety container was built and six stainless steel
storage tanks were installed on top of it. The foors
have a slight slope directed to a collectng basin.
Handling areas have waterproof protectve epoxy-
based paint on walls and fooring.
The site is located in an area not prone to
earthquakes and in distance of agricultural
practces and towns.
16
Box 9: Temporary storage of mercury contaminated sludge on-site at a non-ferrous metals plant (Japan) (ref. 18)
Box 10: Temporary storage in Las Cuevas by Minas de Almaden (MAYASA) (Spain) (refs. 48, 49, 50)
Important steps: Governments may wish to take the following steps
Develop guidance and awareness-raising materials for temporary storage by public insttutons and industry.
Choose and retroft (a) suitable site(s) for centralized temporary storage of mercury wastes.
Regulate maximum duraton, storage capacity, safety/environmental protecton requirements and liability.
Mercury wastes must be handled with great care in order to prevent
evaporaton and spillage of elemental mercury into the environment. It is
therefore necessary to ensure adequate handling, packaging, labeling and
transport according to the technical requirements stpulated by natonal law
as well as internatonal rules and obligatons. (ref. 13)
For detailed informaton, see the Basel Technical Guidelines (para 132-147).
3.2. Packaging,
transport and
traceability
Packaging:
The containers in which mercury wastes are transported provide the most direct barrier to prevent releases.
Mercury wastes must therefore be carefully packaged in appropriate containers before shipping them to
designated treatment, storage or disposal facilites. (see boxes 11-14).
Mercury wastes should be placed in a gas- and liquid-tght container with appropriate labeling (distnctve mark
indicatng that it contains toxic mercury and is corrosive, origin, weight, shock resistance etc.). Containers should
always be coated from the outside and kept in a dry locaton to prevent corrosion. No damage to the structural
integrity of the container should be given. No materials adversely reactng with mercury should have been
previously stored in the container. (ref. 13)
Box 13: Steel barrel (3, 14)
Wastes consistng of mercury should be stored in
specialized containers, for example mercury
fasks (2.5 liter/34.5 kg), which are also the standard
unit for trading mercury. Other ofen used container
types are 1 ton stainless steel pressure reptacles.
(Courtesy: Umwelt Technik Metallrecycling GmbH)

Wastes containing mercury must be
transported in a way that prevents them
from breaking and releasing mercury.
125 liter UN-approved plastc drum (courtesy:
Umwelt Technik Metallrecycling GmbH)
Sludge and waste with
metallic mercury may be
transported in approved
plastc or steel barrels, e.g.
this UN-approved 110 liter
stainless steel drum with
epoxy lining
17
Box 11: Mercury fasks and receptacle (refs. 3, 14)
Box 12: Plastc drum (refs. 3, 14)
Transport: Box 14 (see next page) illustrates the
environmentally sound transport of mercury
wastes. Prior to transportaton, contngency plans
should be prepared in order to minimize
environmental impacts associated with spills, fres
and other potental emergencies. Dilligent
acceptance controls are necessary at the
destnaton (see box 15).
Traceability of mercury wastes throughout management
Traceability is a set of actons, measures and procedures to identfy and record every actvity of hazardous waste
management from generaton to disposal. Mercury and mercury wastes must be traceable throughout the
lifecycle, including afer fnal disposal. Traceability applies to relevant actors upstream (e.g. waste generators) and
downstream (e.g. recyclers, disposal facilites). Informaton on the characteristcs and quantty of the mercury and
mercury waste in queston as well as the risks associated with its management should be available at
all tmes. Legal mechanisms should be in place (e.g. audits, inspectons). It is recommended to request
detailed reports and tracking records from dealers, recyclers, disposers and others involved. (ref. 60)
Box 16: The signifcance of traceability
Internatonal reference documents:
Natonal law as well as internatonal standards should be adhered to during packaging, labelling, transport and
transboundary movement of mercury wastes. Below is a list of important documents that should be consulted:
Basel Conventons Manual for the Implementaton of the Basel Conventon (ref. 53)
IMOs Internatonal Maritme Dangerous Goods Code (ref. 54)
ICAOs Technical Instructons for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ref. 55)
IATAs Dangerous Goods Regulatons Manual (ref. 56)
UNECEs Recommendatons on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulatons (ref. 57)
UNECEs Globally Harmonized System of Classifcaton and Labelling of Chemicals (ref. 58);
OECDs Harmonized Integrated Classifcaton System for Human Health and Environmental Hazards of
Chemical Substances and Mixtures (ref. 59).

Throughout the logistcs chain, it is crucial to ensure the traceability of mercury wastes (see box 16). This will help
to ensure that they are not diverted for illegitmate uses or inadequately disposed.
Transport of wastes consistng of mercury (US)
Box 14: Transport of wastes consistng of mercury (US) (ref. 54)
Pallets inspected; drums and pallets baded for stability;
loads blocked and braced in carriers conveyance
All shipments complied with U.S.DOT requirements for
shipment of hazardous materials
Certfed hazardous material haulers
Stringent recepton control, incl. vapor measurement
18
Acceptance control
Upon arrival at treatment, storage or
disposal facilites, mercury wastes must be
inspected. This includes vapor measurement
and chemical analysis. If acceptance criteria
are not fulflled, the waste should be re-
packaged and sent back to the owner.
Box 15: Acceptance control
Courtesy: Defense Logistcs Agency
Courtesy: K+S Entsorgung GmbH
19
Wastes containing or contaminated with mercury or
mercury compounds should be treated in an ESM in
dedicated facilites . The purpose is to:
i) extract and purify the mercury contained in the
waste for re-use or disposal, and
ii) decontaminate the waste in order to re-use it or
make it eligible for disposal.
The process will yield mercury-free, sometmes valuable raw materials which may be re-used (e.g. glass from the
recycling of lamps, copper from the recycling of bateries or silver from the recycling of dental amalgam), as well as
elemental mercury. As long as there are remaining uses for mercury in, it is recommended to also reuse the
mercury present in the waste. This will help to phase out primary mining. Recovered mercury can only be reused
for the purposes allowed under the Minamata Conventon and natonal law. As shown in the fgure 14, most
processes for mercury recovery involves the following three steps:
1.) Pre-treatment
Pre-treatment serves to increase the efciency of subsequent steps by removing
materials other than those containing mercury. It is only necessary for some mercury
wastes, partcularly spent products, which are broken or disassembled to facilitate the
separaton of mercury from other components. Some types of mercury contaminated
wastes may also require pre-treatment (e.g. dewatering of sludge).

2.) Thermal treatment
The mercury is separated by heatng it above its vaporizaton temperature. Due to its
low boiling point (ca. 356,73C), most of the mercury in the waste enters the of-gas
stream and is separated from other components (e.g. zinc). Flue gas treatment devices
can efectvely capture elemental mercury and mercury compounds generated during
thermal treatment. A number of thermal treatment processes and technologies are
available, such as rotary kilns, multple hearth furnaces, or vacuum dry mixing.
Thermal treatment is used for many types of mercury wastes, e.g. to recycle buton-
cell bateries, reactvate spent carbon, or decontaminate sludge and soil.
3.) Purifcaton
Afer having entered the exhaust gas system, mercury vapor emited during waste
treatment is washed out via gas scrubbers and condensed in the cooling area. The
mercury remains in a liquid slurry. It is then purifed by several steps of successive
distllaton to render it re-usable as a commodity or eligible for disposal.
Figure 14: Basic steps in the recovery/recycling and treatment of mercury wastes (refs. 13, 18, 40)
4.1. Recovery/recycling and
treatment of mercury wastes
Chapter 4: Recovery/recycling and treatment of mercury wastes
Courtesy: SARP Industries
Courtesy: Nomura Kohsan Co., Ltd.
Courtesy: Nomura Kohsan Co., Ltd.
Basic steps in the recovery/recycling and treatment of mercury wastes

Mercury waste is fed into the inclined rotary kiln
Kiln heated to 600C 800C
Mercury is vaporized and enters of-gas stream
Secondary combuston at 850C-1100C
Exhaust gas is quenched (cooled by water sprays)
and rapidly brought to low temperatures (ca. 4
Mercury is condensed and collected through a
scrubber as a slurry for purifcaton
Ideal for bateries and soil with low mercury content
Carried out at under-pressure;
Nitrogen can be added to create inert atmosphere
The rotary moton enables an even and fast
distributon of heat through the waste which allows a
rapid evaporaton of mercury
Post-combuston chamber to ensure destructon of
hydrocarbons , carbon monoxide and halogens
Courtesy: Nomura Kohsan Co., Ltd.

Box 17: Rotary kiln (ref. 18)
Box 18: The end-cut/air-push recycling process for linear fuorescent lamps (ref. 18)
The recycling methods used for wastes containing mercury are ofen very specifc and multstage, whereas for was-
tes contaminated with mercury methods are applied that ofen are used for other hazardous wastes as well.
A number of diferent technologies are available for the environmentally sound recovery and recycling of wastes
contaminated with mercury as well as mercury-added products. Boxes 17, 18 and 19 illustrate some examples.
20
Rotary kiln
The end-cut/air-push recycling process for linear fuorescent lamps
The aluminium end caps of linear fuorescent lamps are cut by heat. Air push nozzles blow the mercury-
phosphor powder adsorbed from the tube. The metals, glass and merucry-containing phosphor powder are
then collected in diferent vessels via a dry separaton technology. The recovered glass is of very high purity.
Where necessary, the method also allows for seperaton of the diferent types of powder. Unlike in other
processes, the mercury is not extracted; instead, the powder is sent to lamp manufacturers for re-use.
Courtesy: SARP Industries
Management of residues, emissions and releases:
It is ofen not possible to extract all of the mercury contained in the waste. Moreover, a small, but signifcant
proporton will be lost during treatment processes. Some mercury will vaporize during pre-treatment, remain in
the fy/botom ash during thermal treatment or may contaminate wastewater.
It is essental to keep a mass balance, i.e. to monitor the amount of mercury entering treatment processes
on the one hand and the amount of mercury recovered on the other.
Treatment must take place in a closed system with negatve pressure, so as to prevent vapor emissions.
Exhaust air must be captured in flters, such as actvated carbon beds.
Emissions and releases should be contnuously monitored.
The mercury residuals from processing of mercury wastes must undergo further treatment or be disposed of in an
ESM. Gas and wastewater treatments will generate wastes contaminated with mercury (e.g. saturated carbon)
which will then also need to be treated and/or disposed (see box 20). (refs. 13, 18, 40)
Chemical
precipitaton
Chemical precipitaton: Typically the fnal step afer all organic content has been destroyed.
Uses chemicals (e.g. sodium sulphide) to transform dissolved contaminants into an
insoluble solid. The precipitated solid is removed by clarifcaton or fltraton.
Chemical
oxidaton
Adsorpton
treatment
Adsorpton treatment: Adsoprton materials hold mercury on the surface through chemical
forces. Mercury or mercury compounds are adsorbed as liquid wastes and pass through a
column. Adsoprton materials include actvated carbon, zelolite and ion exchange resins.
Chemical oxidaton: oxidizing reagents (e.g. sodium hypochlorite) are used to destroy the
organics, to convert mercury into a soluble form and to form mercury halide compounds
which are sent for further processing (acid leaching, precipitaton). Used for aqueous
wastes containing mercury.
Chemical
leaching
An aqeuous process that solubilises mercury by bringing it in contact with a leaching
soluton. It is parttoned to the liquid phase and thus removed from the waste matrix. The
solubilized mercury is further treated (e.g. precipitaton, carbon adsorpton). Good for
inorganicmercury forms, less efectve for elemental mercury.
Box 20: Wastewater and gas treatment (ref. 40)
Recycling of mercury-added bateries via the Sumitomo process
Following manual separaton, the mercury-added bateries are
pyrolized at temperatures of 700800C. In the exhaust gas
purifcaton plant, mercury is washed out and condensed as a
metal in a sludge. The sludge is sent for further processing in the
mercury distllaton plant, where elemental mercury of 99,995%
purity is recovered. Apart from elemental mercury, the process
produces ferro-manganese, zinc and slag.
Box 19: Recycling of mercury-added bateries via the Sumitomo process (ref. 18)
Courtesy: Batrec Industrie AG
21
Wastewater and gas treatment
22
A guiding principle for the ESM of mercury waste is to reduce
hazardousness and the risk of releases as soon and as much as
possible. An essental means of doing so is to treat mercury waste.
Mercury wastes can be chemically stabilized and/or physically
solidifed. In many cases, a combinaton of both is used. This is
referred to as stabilizaton/solidifcaton (S/S). (ref. 61)
5.1. Stabilizaton/
solidifcaton


Stabilizaton
Stabilizaton processes reduce the hazardousness of the consttuents in the waste. Elemental
mercury is brought into reacton with chemical agents that convert it into a substance that is
thermodynamically more stable, less soluble and less volatle, making it less mobile and so
reducing release and exposure potental. (refs. 61, 62, 63)
Solidifcaton
Solidifcaton processes change the physical state of the waste without changing the
chemical propertes of the waste. Mercury wastes are embedded in a stable matrix and thus
sealed from the environment. Micro-encapsulaton means mixing the waste with the
encasing material. Macro-encapsulaton means pouring the encasing material over and
around the waste mass, thus enclosing it in a solid block. (refs. 50, 61, 62, 63)
S/S is used for wastes consistng of elemental mercury as well as wastes contaminated with mercury (e.g. soil or
sludge), usually with a low mercury content rendering recovery technically and/or economically unfeasible
Box 23 and 24 describe two of the most commonly used approaches. The frststabilizaton of elemental mercury
as mercury sulphideis a one-step process used for elemental mercury. The secondstabilizaton and microencap-
sulaton of mercury wastes in a sulphur polymeric matrixis a two-step process that can be used for various types
of mercury wastes.
S/S technologies may serve to:
reduce vapour pressure and solubility
reduce mobility/disperability
enhance physical strength
S/S may thus ofer practcal, cost and health benefts:
easier and cheaper to handle
safer storage and disposal
isolaton from the biosphere
Figure 15: The efects and benefts of S/S (refs. 13, 18, 61, 63, 64)

Courtesy: Kummel Consultng AB
Sulphur and elemental mercury are mixed under heat in a vaccum mixer, thus
reactng to mercury sulphide.
Reported characteristcs of the fnal product:
Product is a powder with no detectable releases of mercury vapour
Concentraton afer leaching with water is less than 0.002 mg/kg
Weight increases by ca. 16%, volume ca. 6-fold
Box 23: Sulphur stabilizaton of elemental mercury (refs. 18, 61, 63)
Chapter 5: Disposal Optons
Box 22: Solidifcaton
Box 21: Stabilizaton
The objectve is to immobilize the mercury and to isolate it from the biosphere, thus making it ft for storage and/or
fnal disposal.
Potental efects and benefts of stabilizaton/solidifcaton
Sulphur stabilizaton of elemental mercury
Mercury is stabilized with sulphur as mercury sulfde and then incorporated and microencapsulated in a poly-
meric sulphur matrix. Characteristcs of the fnal products:
Monolithic block afer the treatment of metallic mercury from the
chlor-alkali sector.
Monolithic block afer the treatment of zinc producton waste.
Monolithic block afer the treatment of fuorescent lamp dust.
Courtesy: MAYASA
Concrete-like resistance; very low
porosity
Hardly reversible process
No unreacted mercury
Weight increases ca. 3-fold, volume ca.
13-fold
Leaching values (both monolithic and
crushed samples) in compliance with EU
standard (<0.01 mg/kg)
23
Box 24: Stabilizato and microencapsulaton of mercury wastes in a sulphur polymeric matrix (refs. 18, 50)
Some challenges remain regarding the use of S/S processes for mercury wastes:
S/S increases the waste volume and thus storage/disposal costs
Disposal of stabilized mercury wastes in specially engineered landflls (SELs) may be problematc in the long-
term, as it may decompose under certain conditons. Once the matrix of encapsulated waste is fractured
or otherwise degraded, the containment loses its barrier propertes.
There are concerns regarding the completeness of the reacton between mercury and treatment chemicals
It is therefore recommended to thoroughly evaluate treatment methods in pilot-scale tests before commercial
use. This should include an evaluaton of the leaching potental over a range of plausible disposal
conditons (especially over a range of pH values), and evaluaton of plausible changes to the treated
waste form in the long-term due to exposure to the environment and biological actvity at disposal sites.
Box 25: The challenges associated with the long-term storage of stabilized mercury wastes (refs. 12, 18)

?


Several S/S processes have been tested at laboratory as well as large-scale and some are now commercially
available or are expected to be so in the near future. For up-to-date informaton, please visit the website of the
Global Mercury Partnership, Partnership area on supply and storage, at: htp://www.unep.org/chemicalsandwaste/
Mercury/InterimActvites/Partnerships/SupplyandStorage/tabid/3546/language/en-US/Default.aspx.
S/S may make storage and disposal optons available that would otherwise not be considered environmentally
sound. The disposal of liquid elemental mercury is currently forbidden in most, if not all, countries. By contrast,
many countries allow for stabilized mercury to be disposed of in existng facilites. All optons for interim storage
and disposal are available for stabilized mercury, including SELs (provided the eligibility criteria are met). (refs. 13,
18, 61, 64)
Figure 12: Disposal optons for wastes consistng of mercury and disposal optons for stabilized/solidifed mercury wastes
Stabilizaton and microencapsulaton of mercury wastes in a sulphur polymeric matrix
24
5.2. Long-term storage/
aboveground warehouse
storage
Aboveground warehouse storage refers to long-term storage (i.e.
several decades). The mercury waste is removed from the market
but not subjected to fnaldisposal. of mercury without a fnal
disposal soluton. Some countries may wish to store waste consistng
of mercury in the long-term untl other optons are available. Long/
term storage can be realized in any suitable aboveground facility
that is specially designed for this purpose. (ref. 13)
Governments may consider this opton if the following conditons are met:
a) considerable amounts of elemental mercury need to be stored,
b) fnaldisposal optons are not available (e.g. because S/S is not available), and
c) export is not considered an opton
Safety requirements: Special precautons have to be taken to allow safe storage for several decades. The
aboveground warehouse storage of elemental mercury in the US may serve to indicate the optmal level of safety
measures. For details, see box 26 below.
The challenge...
Elemental mercury stockpiled in more than 40-
year old fasks in three separate locatons
...and the response
4,436mt (128,660 fasks) elemental mercury
permanently stored in a single storage facility
with stringent safety measures in place.
All pictures courtesy of Defense Logistcs Agency
Alternatve optons considered in the MM EIS
No acton, i.e. to contnue storage at existng sites: This
opton did not meet the DNSCs goal of reducing the
number of sites.
Treatment for disposal: When the decision was
taken, no proven technologies were commercially
available.
Treatment for storage: The DNSC found that mercury
can be safely stored in its elemental form. Moreover,
treatment costs were considered too high.
Sales: This opton was rejected due to
environmental concerns.
A Mercury Management Environmental Impact Statement (MM EIS) was conducted by the Defense Natonal
Stockpile Center (DNSC) to assess the optons. Long-term storage in a single consolidated facility was selected.
Mercury over packing project
During the EIS, frst preparatory actons were taken. 128,660 fasks were inspected,
cleaned, tghtened and then over packed: The fasks were placed in epoxy-coated steel
drums with layered protecton (absorbent pads, plastc liners, locking ring etc.).
Aboveground warehouse storage of elemental mercury (US)
Over the course of the past 50 years, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) had been collectng and storing its
surplus elemental mercury. While some of those excess stocks were sold over tme, due to increasing concerns
about the adverse efects of mercury, the DOD has kept its entre surplus in safe storage.
Warehouse improvements and safety measures
Installaton of fre suppression and security systems
Installaton of fooring sealant and ramped containment dikes
Stringent emergency protocol
A ventlaton system exerts control on mercury vapor emissions
Safety and storage equipment includes mercury vapor detecton
instruments and spill response kits
Eventually the mercury was transported to Hawthorne, Nebraska in compliance with the requirements for the
shipment of hazardous materials. A stringent inspecton and recepton protocol was followed.

Lessons learnt:
Centralized storage facilites have the advantage of saving costs compared to multple sites.
Existng facilites can be retrofted for use as mercury storage facility.
Properly designed fasks ofer good protecton against vapor emissions.
If sufcient safety measures are in place, aboveground warehouses are an environmentally sound opton.
Prior to shipment, the selected warehouse was retrofted to comply with regulatory storage requirements.
Training was conducted and the operatng permit issued.
25
Challenges
Not a permanent soluton: mercury remains in
the biosphere and must be actvely managed
Very high safety standards needed
Requires economic, insttutonal and politcal
long-term stability
High long-term operatonal costs
Opportunites
Many potentally suitable sites that could be
retrofted available in most countries
Implementaton within several years
Most consolidated opton; existng experience
Risk assessment less complex than for
permanent storage
No need for previous stabilizaton
Important steps: countries may wish to
develop site selecton criteria, identfy potental sites and conduct long-term environmental impact assessments;
contnue investgatng long-term solutons, including S/S and underground disposal/SELs; and
enter into negotatons with private holders of mercury regarding liability and cost-sharing.
Table 1: Challenges and opportunites associated with aboveground warehouse storage (refs. 11, 14, 48)
Box 26: US aboveground warehouse storage (refs. 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
Duraton: Landflls can be specially engineered to be environmentally safe for a prolonged period of tme, provided
that proper precautons and efcient management are guaranteed. However, it is important to menton that even
stabilized mercury waste cannot be indefnitely stored in landflls. (refs. 12, 13, 18, 79)
Risks: Depending on the operatng conditons and the equipments used for closure of the cells, storage of
mercury waste in landflls may become a source of releases in the future. In the long-term, the surface sealing may
become porous and oxygenated rainwater and air may penetrate the landfll. Biotc and abiotc processes may
mobilize even stabilized mercury and methylmercury may be formed. (refs. 12, 13)
It is therefore questonable whether it is enough to apply standard leaching tests in order to decide on the
applicability of stabilized mercury waste for landflling. The leachability and volatlity of mercury in solids strongly
depends on the physical and chemical pre-conditons at the place of storage. These might not be the same as
presumed in standard leaching procedures. (ref. 61)


Stabilized/solidifed mercury wastes Solid wastes contaminated with mercury fulflling the
natonal acceptance criteria
Spent mercury-added products
Though some spent mercury-added products might be eligible under natonal legislaton,
this is not recommended since mercury may be easily released into the environment.
Wastes consistng of elemental mercury
Liquid mercury is highly volatle
and may methylate in SELs.
(Semi-)liquid wastes contaminated with mercury
Mercury contained in liquid
wastes may easily mobilize.


26
5.4. Specially engineered
landfll
A specially engineered landfll (SEL) is an environmentally
sound system for solid waste disposal and is a site where solid
wastes are capped and isolated from each other and from the
environment. (ref. 13)
The waste is stored aboveground or near the surface below
ground in a retrievable manner.
Eligible mercury wastes: Following S/S, wastes containing or contaminated with mercury that meet the
acceptance criteria defned by natonal or local regulatons, may be disposed of in SELs. Most countries specify
leaching limit values, concentraton and/or content thresholds (see the examples for the EU and the US in table 2).

EU US
Only hazardous wastes with leaching limit values of
2mg Hg/kg dry substance at a liquid-solid rato of 10
L/Kg (for hazardous waste).
Only low concentraton mercury wastes: Treated
mercury waste must leach less than 0.025 mg/L mercury
(by TCLP testng).
Figure 18 provides recommendatons in terms of which wastes may (not) be disposed of in SELs.
Table 2: Eligibility criteria for landfll disposal in the EU and the US (ref. 13)
Figure 18: 2: Eligibility of mercury wastes for disposal in a SEL (refs. 13, 18, 64, 65, 78, 79, 81, 82)
Challenges
Safety may only be predicted for some decades
Requires prior stabilizaton
Stabilized mercury is not thermodynamically
stable in SEL
May become a future source of releases
Opportunites
Well established concept in many countries;
experience with other hazardous wastes
Relatvely low investment and operatonal costs
If prior S/S, the mercury waste is isolated from
the biosphere
Table 3: Challenges and opportunites associated with storing mercury wastes in SELs (refs. 10, 13, 18, 20, 66, 80, 81, 82)
Important steps: countries may wish to
establish a permit system, stpulatng leachate and gas control systems, closure and post-closure measures etc.;
identfy existng SELs that could be retrofted for the disposal of stabilized mercury; and
analyze the long-term behavior of the stabilized mercury waste in the specifc setngs of the facility.
Safety requirements: Preparaton, management and control of the landfll must be of the highest standard to
minimize the risks to human health and the environment. This should similarly apply to the process of site selecton,
design and constructon, operaton and monitoring, closure and post closure care. Sites with favorable natural and
artfcial containment propertes should be selected and specially engineered for the purpose of storing mercury
waste. Overall engineering should ensure isolaton from the environment that is as complete as possible. (ref. 13)
Special requirements to prevent leakages and contaminaton of the environment include, among others:
The waste is stored in a retrievable manner in dedicated cells, separate from other wastes
Control and oversight procedures are in place; periodic monitoring and evaluaton is undertaken
Botom (operatng phase) and top-liner (closure and post-closure phase) installed
For detailed informaton on safety measures and specifc site criteria, it is recommended to consult the Basel Tech-
nical Guidelines (para 188-191) and the Basel Technical Guidelines on Specially Engineered Landfll.

This specially engineered landfll is completely shut of from the outside natural world. It is enclosed
in watertght and reinforced concrete and covered with equipment preventng rainwater infow such
as a roof and a rainwater drainage system
Box 27: Specially Engineered landfll (ref. 13)
Scheme of a specially engineered landfll
27


5.5. Underground
disposal
Underground disposal means to place waste in an ordered manner in deep
geological cavites (e.g., in an underground mine). It is considered as a
fnal, irreversible disposal operaton .
The idea is to permanently isolate mercury waste from the biosphere by
including it completely and permanently in a suitable host rock via several
natural and artfcial barriers. No or limited supervision and
maintenance is necessary. Underground storage may thus be considered a
fnal disposal soluton. Underground storage may serve to isolate
mercury waste from the biosphere for geological periods of tme. (refs. 10, 12, 13, 20) . Figure 19 provides
recommendatons in terms of which wastes may (not) be disposed of underground:
Stabilized/solidifed mercury wastes Solid wastes contaminated with mercury fulfl-
ling the natonal acceptance criteria
Wastes consistng of elemental mercury
Currently, liquid mercury is not accepted for underground storage. However, a
recent study suggests that the disposal of liquid mercury is feasible, provided
that it is of high purity and that additonal safety measures are in place (ref. 12).
Spent mercury-added products
Mercury-added products may
break and release liquid mercury.
(Semi-)liquid wastes contaminated with mercury
Mercury contained in liquid
wastes may easily mobilize.
?


Potental sites: Potental sites could be disused underground mines with suitable geochemical conditons, once
they have been specifcally adapted for the purpose (82). Potental host rocks include the following:
i) Salt rock: Considered impermeable to liquids and gases and the most efectve barrier for long-term storage of
hazardous waste. Yet, a minimum thickness of the salt layer is needed to ensure safe encapsulaton. (ref. 82, 83)
ii) Clay formatons: Also considered as good barriers, although to a lesser extent impermeable (refs. 82, 83).
iii) Hard rock formatons: Complete enclosure technically not feasible due to high rock permeability and possible
fractures. The site has to be carefully assessed and additonal technical barriers must be in place (refs. 82, 83).
Prototype container potentally suited for permanent storage (Argentna)
During the UNEP Mercury Storage and Disposal Two Countries
Project in Latn America, engineers of the Natonal Insttute for
Industrial Technology (INTI, Argentna) adapted a proposal initally
developed for radioactve waste to explore the possibility of
permanently storing mercury waste. The idea: A permanent
underground storage structure based on the use of steel reinforced
concrete cells in which drums containing solidifed waste are stored.
28
Box 28: Prototype container potentally suited for permanent storage (ref. 84)
Figure 19: 2: Eligibility of mercury wastes for underground disposal (refs. 10, 12, 13, 19, 20, 81, 82)
Courtesy: INTI
Underground disposal in salt mines (Germany)
In Germany, mercury containing waste is stored underground in salt mines. Mercury-contaminated soils and
components, mercury-contaminated demolition waste from the chlor-alkali sector, and contaminated glass
breakage were disposed in the underground facility in the city of Herfa Neurode. The deposit lies at depths of 500
to 800m and thus far below the groundwater.
Operaton
Samples taken at entrance
Acceptance control (chemical analysis)
Informaton pertaining to storage tme
and locaton recorded
Implementaton monitored by ofcial
authorites
Mult-barrier system
Natural barriers:
Salt (gastght): 300m
Clay (watertght): 100m
Bunter stone: 500m
Artfcial barriers
Waste packaging
Brick walls
Field dams
Watertght shaf sealing
Storage arrangement
Stored in a retrievable way in disused, excavated
area of the mine, remote from extracton area
Closing of the storage chambers
Salt dams or stonewalls to separate the storage
cells; storage in separate lockable chambers
Contnuous monitoring of mercury vapor
Challenges
- Some countries might not meet the conditons required to
host an underground site (geographic, legal, politcal etc.)
- Requires signifcant investment
- Demanding and lengthy selecton process and assessment
Important steps countries may wish to take include to:
develop site selecton criteria, identfy sites and conduct long-term site-specifc risk and safety assessments;
put technical barriers in place (containers, dams, sealing etc.) to complement geological barriers; and
secure fnances and ensure private sector involvement (polluter-pays).
Opportunites
+ Pre-treatment optons (S/S) are available
+ No afercare measures needed (low operatonal costs)
+ Allows complete isolaton from the biosphere
+ Existng experience with hazardous waste, incl. mercury
+ Globally, many existng rock types with suitable geology
Costs: Signifcant investment is necessary for the adjustment of the underground storage design, i.e. the
preparaton of storage chambers, and the site assessment and long-term safety assessment.
Co-storage of other hazardous wastes is possible to save costs; however, these must be stored in separate cells.
Once the waste is sealed of, substantal operatonal costs can be saved compared to the alternatves. (ref. 82)
Informaton on site selecton criteria and safety measures can be found at the IAEAs Geological Disposal of
Radioactve Waste: Technological Implicatons for Retrievability (htp://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publicatons/
PDF/Pub1378_web.pdf ) (ref. 86).
29
Table 4: Challenges and opportunites associated with the permanent storage underground of mercury (refs. 13, 18, 65, 82)
Box 29: Underground disposal in salt mines (Germany) (ref. 85)
Courtesy: K+S Entsorgung GmbH
Costs: Whether export is a cheaper soluton than the alternatves depends on a number of factors, e.g. the
volume of mercury wastes. It is difcult to give general cost estmates, as they vary greatly (e.g. due to energy
prices). Main cost factors include insurance, packaging, customs, freight and shipment fees, and the costs or
treatment/storage/disposal in the country of destnaton.
Export of catalysts contaminated with mercury ( Indonesia)
P
i
c
t
u
r
e
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

B
a
t
r
e
c

Indonesia has a signifcant gas extracton industry. This sector
generates large amounts of wastes contaminated with mercury,
including catalysts. No recycling facility was available domestcally.
The spent catalysts, contaminated with up to 15% of mercury, are
exported to Switzerland for decontaminaton and recycling.
30
Box 31: Export of catalysts contaminated with mercury (Indonesia) (ref. 18)
The export of mercury waste is a partcularly important opton for countries
lacking the necessary infrastructure for environmentally sound treatment,
storage or disposal (see examples in boxes 30-32). It may also be the
preferred choice for countries with relatvely small amounts of mercury
waste or where the establishment and operaton of facilites is considered
too costly. Some countries may see export as an interim soluton, untl
domestc facilites become available.
Legal consideratons: Where applicable, all shipments should be made in accordance with the rules and
procedures of the Basel Conventon (see box 29). Artcle 11 of the Minamata Conventon allows the export of
mercury waste for environmentally sound disposal for Partes to the Basel Conventon. Where the Basel
Conventon does not apply, internatonal rules, standards and guidelines must be taken into account. The importng
country must have the infrastructure to guarantee ESM and permit the import according to its natonal legislaton.
5.6. Export of
mercury wastes for
evironmentally
sound disposal
Transboundary movement of mercury waste is only allowed if:
The state of export does not have
the technical capacity and the ne-
cessary facilites, capacity or sui-
table disposal sites for environ-
mentally sound disposal
The wastes in queston
are required as raw mate-
rial for recycling or
recovery industries in the
state of import
The transboundary move-
ment in queston is in ac-
cordance with other crite-
ria decided by the Partes
Does the exportng Party have reason to believe that the
wastes in queston will not be managed in an ESM?
No export Yes
No
Observe Prior Informed Consent (PIC) requirements during notfcaton, consent and issuance of
movement documents, transboundary movement, and confrmaton of disposal.
or
or
Box 29: Export of mercury waste under the Basel Conventon
Export of mercury waste under the Basel Conventon
Important steps countries may wish to take include to:
seek regional solutons in order to avoid unnecessary risks associated with transportaton of mercury waste;
address issues of ownership, liability and traceability; and
ensure that the rules and procedures of the Basel Conventon and/or relevant internatonal rules, standards and
guidelines are observed.
Export of mercury-added fuorescent lamps for recycling (Philippines)
A mercury recycler from Japan and a collecton company from the Philippines established a cooperatve
arrangement for the shipment of fuorescent lamps for recycling. In order to avoid transport costs (and the
associated risks), the company is currently investgatng the commercializaton of a plant in the Philippines.
Transported in 40f containers
Plastc stufng to prevent breakage
In compliance with the Basel
Conventon and applicable natonal laws
In total, more than 50t exported so far
Pictures courtesy of Nomura Kohsan, Co., Ltd.
Export of by-product mercury from a gold mine for stabilizaton and disposal (Peru)
Challenge:
No storage facilites domestcally available;
hazardous waste landflls not considered
an opton, since S/S not available.
Soluton:
Export for stabilizaton and underground
disposal. 30t have been disposed to date.
Collecton and interim storage on-site in appropriate fasks
Obtain ofcial waste export permit by local authorites
Notfcaton for
transboundary
movements to the
country of destnaton
in conformity with the
Basel Conventon
Present sanitary permit of export to customs authorites
Import in accordance with EU Regulaton 1013/2006 on
shipments of waste and domestc legislaton
Prior duly reasoned request to
state of destnaton on the basis
that the country of origin
cannot reasonably acquire the
capacity for environmentally
sound disposal.
Inspecton, stabilizaton and disposal in country of destnaton.
+
In the past, by-product mercury recovered
from Perus gold mines was sold for
processing and re-use. However, it was
then decided to defnitely retre it from
the market.
The Yanacocha mine near Cajamarca, Peru
31
Box 31: Export of mercury-added fuorescent lamps for recycling (Philippines) (ref. 18)
Box 32: Export of by-product mercury from a gold mine for stabilizaton and disposal (Peru) (ref. 18)
Volumes of mercury wastes
Domestc solutons may be recommended for countries with large volumes of mercury wastes.
Temporary storage, followed by export may be a good choice for countries with relatvely small amounts.
Countries expectng large excess supply, may wish to invest in stabilizaton/solidifcaton technologies.
Sources and types of mercury wastes
The characteristcs of the waste (mercury content, contentraton, leachability etc.) will determine the optons
Addressing on-site waste management is important for countries with industrial processes.
It is recommended to establish a clear regulatory framework for the downstream management of recovered
by-product mercury and excess mercury from intentonal uses.
Collecton schemes are essental for the safe management of mercury-added products.
Management of wastes containing/contaminated with mercury requires recycling/recovery technology.
Other factors
For Partes to the Minamata Conventon: The Minamata Conventon COP will adopt requirements for the
ESM of mercury wastes
The existence of export or import bans in other countries may need to be taken into account.
Factors such as geology or weather paterns may determine the (un)availability of certain management op-
tons, e.g. liquid mercury should not be stored in aboveground warehouses in areas/countries susceptble to
foods and/or earthquakes, unless technical and legal conditons assure ESM
The regional situaton should be taken into account, e.g. where neighboring countries already have dedica-
ted disposal facilites in place, countries may wish to cooperate and beneft from economies of scale.
The existng mercury management infrastructure
The availability of previous experiences with specifc optons can be taken into account and built upon.
Existng sites and/or facilites could be retrofted for interim storage and/or disposal.
Characteristcs of the management optons
Despite investment costs, stabilizaton/solidifcaton may be a cheaper soluton, as it renders handling,
storage and disposal easier and thus less costly, while also opening storage and disposal optons.
Specially engineered landflls and aboveground warehouses are considered cheaper than underground
disposal in the short-term, but more expensive in the long-term due to higher operatonal costs.
Final disposal (e.g. underground) requires technical capacity but removes the waste from the biosphere.
32
This page gives a non-exhaustve list of the factors that countries may wish
to consider in deciding on storage and disposal optons against the specifc
domestc situaton. Countries should consider all factors and develop a
mercury waste management strategy that is practcal and which will result in
the environmentally sound managment of their mercury waste over the long
-term. Countries are advised to carefully consider the alternatve disposal
optons discussed in this document.
5.7. Choosing
storage and disposal
optons
GLOSSARY, ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
Amalgamalloys made of mercury and one or more other metals.
Amalgamatondescribes a physical process in which another metal dissolves in mercury or mercury dissolves in another metal to form a
solid but ofen sof alloy (an amalgam).
ASGMArtsanal and small-scale gold mining: means gold mining conducted by individual miners or small enterprises with limited capital
investment and producton.
BATsBest available techniques: means those techniques that are the most efectve to prevent and, where that is not practcable, to
reduce emissions and releases of mercury to air, water and land and the impact of such emissions and releases on the environment as a
whole, taking into account economic and technical consideratons for a given Party or a given facility within the territory of that Party.
BEPsBest environmental practces: means the applicaton of the most appropriate combinaton of environmental control measures
and strategies.
Commodity mercuryElemental mercury which meets the specifcatons or quality parameters for use in a product or process according to
natonal legislaton.
COPConference of the Partes
Direct re-usemeans the using again, by a person other than its previous owner, of a product or component for the same purpose for which
it was conceived without the necessity of pre-processing.
DisposalGenerally understood as any operaton specifed in Annex IV of the Basel Conventon (BC Artcle 2-4). Disposal operatons are
grouped into two categories: the frst (A) covers disposal operatons in the narrower sense that lead to the wastes destructon, its placement
into a landfll or release into the environment. The second category (B) covers recycling and recovery operatons. Storage of waste prior to
any of these operatons is defned as a disposal operaton as well. For the pupose of this document, disposal is used synonymously with
category A.
DNSCDefense Natonal Stockpile Center
Elemental mercuryThe only metal that is liquid at ambient temperature (liquid from from 38 to 356 C). Liquid mercury has a signifcant
vapour pressure. Elemental mercury has a valence of zero.
End-of-life mercury-added productsmeans mercury-added products that are no longer suitable for use.
EPRmeans an environmental policy approach in which a producers responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a
products life-cycle.
ESMEnvironmentally sound manner/management: of hazardous wastes or other wastes means taking all practcable steps to ensure that
hazardous wastes or other wastes are managed in a manner which will protect human health and the environment against the adverse
efects which may result from such wastes. (BC, Art. 2 8)
EUEuropean Union
Excess mercuryExcess mercury is the amount of natonal (or regional) mercury supply that exceeds natonal (or regional) demand for use in
products and processes.
Final disposalmeans the permanent removal of mercury from the biosphere in a manner that conforms to each countrys environmental
requirements.
GEFGlobal Environment Facility
Hazardous wastesWastes that belong to any category contained in Annex I (of the Basel Conventon), unless they do not possess any of the
characteristcs contained in Annex III (of the Basel Conventon); and (b) Wastes that are not covered under paragraph (a) but are defned as,
or are considered to be, hazardous wastes by the domestc legislaton of the Party of export, import or transit. (BC Artcle 1-1)
HCWHHealth Care Without Harm
Hgmercury
HWHazardous waste
HWTFHazardous waste treatment facility
IAEAInternatonal Atomic Energy Agency
IATAInternatonal Air Transport Associaton
ICAOInternatonal Civil Aviaton Organizatons
IMDG-CodeInternatonal Maritme Dangerous Goods Code
IMOInternatonal Maritme Organizaton
Interim Storage: means storage of mercury other than waste mercury.
INTINatonal Insttute for Industrial Technology
33
JMIAJapan Mining Industry Associaton
kgkilogram
Long-term storagerefers to an US approach of storing elemental for a very long period (up to 40 years or more) in order to reduce its
market availability. This operaton takes place in warehouses, thus it is ofen referred to as aboveground warehouse storage. The term is
here understood as specifcally referring to the storage of mercury waste.
Managementthe collecton, transport and disposal of waste, including afercare of disposal sites.
Mercurymeans elemental mercury (Hg(0), CAS No. 7439-97-6).
Mercury-added productmeans a product or product component that contains mercury or a mercury compound that was intentonally
added.
Mercury compoundsAny substance consistng of atoms of mercury and one or more atoms of other chemical elements that can be
separated into diferent components only by chemical reactons;
Mercury other than waste mercurymercury and mercury compounds that do not fall within the meaning of the defniton of mercury
wastes.
Mercury wastesmeans wastes consistng of mercury or mercury compounds, wastes containing mercury or mercury compounds and
wastes contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds.
mgmilligram
MM EISMercury Management Environmental Impact Statement
mtmetric ton
NFMnon-ferrous metals
NGONon-governmental organizaton
OECDOrganizaton for Economic Co-operaton and Development
Party: - means a State or regional economic integraton organizaton that has consented to be bound by the Minamata Conventon and for
which the Minamata Conventon is in force.
Permanent storageis identfed in Basel Conventon Annex IV as Disposal Operaton D12. It relates to disposal of solid or solidifed waste
not to storage of commodity mercury. It is typically associated with the disposal of waste in underground mines.
Primary mercuryunused, virgin mercury that has been produced as the main product of mining actvites, e.g. the processing of the
mercury ore cinnabar.
Primary mercury miningmeans mining in which the principal material sought is mercury.
Recovery: Any operaton the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise
have been used to fulfll a partcular functon, or waste being prepared to fulfll that functon, in the plant or in the wider economy. Some
recovery operatons are identfed in Annex IVB to the Basel Conventon. The term does not include reuse or direct reuse of goods or
components.
RecyclingAny recovery operaton that involves the reprocessing or transformaton of waste into products, materials or substances for any
purposes other than energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backflling operatons. Some
recycling operatons are identfed in secton B of Annex IV to the Conventon. The term does not include reuse or direct reuse.
Removal from the marketmeans that through the utlizaton of a policy or regulatory tool or a related measure, mercury is not allowed to
be sold, used or reused and instead is placed into storage, disposal or otherwise managed so that it cannot be traded on the open market.
RetroftFor the purpose of this document, retroftng means to re-design an existng site or facility for the purpose of storing mercury
wastes in an environmentally sound manner.
Re-useThe using again, by a person other than its previous owner, of a product or component for the same purpose for which it was
conceived, possibly afer pre-processing.
Secondary mercurymercury that is generated through recycling of mercury-containing wastes, such as catalysts, products or mercury from
decommissioned mercury cell chlor-alkali plants
Solidifcatonmeans processes which only change the physical state of the waste by using additves, (e.g. liquid into solid) without changing
the chemical propertes of the waste. (European Commission 2000)
SELSpecially engineered landfll: sites selected for their containment propertes, these being natural, augmented by, or provided directly by
liners; the overall engineering being such as to ensure as far as possible the isolaton of wastes from the environment.
S/SStabilizaton: Stabilizaton processes change the dangerousness of the consttuents in the waste and thus transform hazardous waste
into non-hazardous waste.
StorageThe storage of waste is a waste management operaton covered by the Basel Conventon. Storage covers (a) storage of waste
pending any of the operatons in Basel Conventon Annex IV Secton A (disposal operaton D 15), e.g. at some waste collecton point or near
the place of the disposal site and (b) accumulaton of material intended for any operaton in Secton B of Annex IV of the Basel Conventon
34
(Basel R 13: recycling and recovery operatons), e.g. at a recycling facility before a batch is processed.
Surplus mercurysee excess mercury
tton, the same as mt (metric ton)
TCLPToxicity characteristc leaching procedure
Temporary storageis understood as storage restricted to a certain period (months up to a few years according to natonal law).
TreatmentAny process to which the waste is subject to make it suitable for subsequent use, or acceptable for discharges to the environ-
ment.
Underground disposalsee permanent storage.
UNECEUnited Natons Economic Commission for Europe
UNEPUnited Natons Environment Programme
Use allowedmeans any use of mercury or mercury compounds allowed under natonal law and/or by a Party consistent with this Convent-
on, including, but not limited to, uses consistent with Artcles 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
US EPAEnvironment Protecton Agency of the United States of America
US DODDepartment of Defense of the United States of America
VCMVinyl chloride monomer
Wastesubstances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of
natonal law. (BC Artcle 2-1)
Wastes consistng of elemental mercury or mercury compoundsInclude elemental mercury and mercury compounds recover-
ed from waste containing or contaminated with mercury as well as surplus stock of elemental mercury and mercury com-
pounds designated as waste.
Wastes containing mercuryInclude wastes of mercury-added products that easily release mercury into the environment
when they are broken, wastes of other mercury-added products and stabilized or solidifed wastes containing mercury.
Wastes contaminated with mercuryInclude residues generated from mining processes, industrial processes, or waste treat-
ment processes. Examples are debris and contaminated soil, mercury loaded actvated carbon, sludges, tailings, and waste
rock.
Waste managementis generally understood to mean the collecton, storage, treatment, transport and disposal of hazardous
wastes or other wastes, including afer-care of disposal sites. (BC Artcle 2-2)
35
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