Characteristics of Mercury Content and Leaching in Residues After Thermal Treatment of Waste Sludge

Eun Song Lee, Geumju Song, Yong Chil Seo, Seungki Back

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1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

This study examined the correlation between Hg content in residues and Hg concentration in the leaching extract of waste sludge after thermal treatment. Based on the results, we identified specific Hg compounds which decomposed during the thermal treatment and the conditions which can remove these thermally unstable Hg compounds. Waste sludge contains a large amount of stable Hg compounds after the sequential extraction process. During the thermal treatment, Hg content in the residues gradually decreased as the temperature and residence time increased. In contrast, the Hg concentration in the leaching extract did not decrease below a certain level of Hg content in the residue. This means that Hg compounds (e.g., HgS) that are stable regarding leaching could remain in the residue after thermal treatment, while Hg compounds (e.g., Hg0, HgCl2, and Hg2 Cl2) that are thermally unstable and unstable with regard to leaching could be removed during thermal treatment. The results show that Hg content can be effectively reduced while retaining Hg compounds with stability in terms of leaching by applying a thermal treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)283-291
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Korea Society of Waste Management
Volume40
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Korea Society of Waste Management. All rights reserved.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
  • Waste Management and Disposal

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