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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    How mercury emissions from industry can be greatly reduced    
      
     Date:   
         July 4, 2023   
     Source:   
         Chalmers University of Technology   
     Summary:   
         Sulphuric acid is the world's most used chemical. It is an important   
         reagent used in many industries and it is used in the manufacture of   
         everything from paper, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to batteries,   
         detergents and fertilizers. It is therefore a worldwide challenge   
         that sulphuric acid often contains one of the most toxic substances   
         - - mercury. Researchers have now developed a method that can reduce   
         the levels of mercury in sulphuric acid by more than 90 per cent --   
         even from low levels.   
      
      
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   Sulphuric acid is the world's most used chemical. It is an important   
   reagent used in many industries and it is used in the manufacture of   
   everything from paper, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to batteries,   
   detergents and fertilisers.   
      
   It is therefore a worldwide challenge that sulphuric acid often contains   
   one of the most toxic substances -- mercury. Researchers at Chalmers   
   University of Technology, Sweden, have now developed a method that can   
   reduce the levels of mercury in sulphuric acid by more than 90 per cent --   
   even from low levels.   
      
   "Until now, there has been no viable method for purifying finished   
   sulphuric acid at all. With such a radical reduction in the mercury   
   content, we come well below the current limit values. Such pure high   
   quality sulphuric acid is in high demand in industrial applications   
   and an important step in reducing environmental impact," says research   
   leader Bjo"rn Wickman, Associate Professor at the Department of Physics   
   at Chalmers.   
      
   Sulphuric acid is produced either from sulphur from the petroleum   
   industry or as a by-product in the mining industry's smelters. In the   
   latter case, mercury, which is naturally present in the ore, can end up   
   in the finished products.   
      
   Also recycled streams in the smelters can contain mercury.   
      
   Toxic emissions that affect all life on Earth Mercury dispersal is a   
   worldwide problem, as the substance is volatile and can be dispersed   
   by air over large areas. This toxic heavy metal is then washed into   
   streams and lakes when it rains. It is stored in the soil, water and   
   living organisms, impacting the entire food chain. It can damage the   
   brains and central nervous systems of humans and animals.   
      
   According to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme   
   (UNEP), emissions of mercury to the atmosphere increased by an estimated   
   20 per cent from 2010 to 2015. In 2015, about 2,200 tonnes of mercury   
   were emitted into the air as a result of human activities such as cement   
   manufacture, small-scale gold mining, coal burning, metal production   
   and other manufacturing industries.   
      
   In addition, an estimated 1,800 tonnes of mercury ended up in the soil and   
   water in that same year. According to the report, mercury concentrations   
   in the atmosphere may have increased by 450 per cent in the last century.   
      
   "Any and all ways we can reduce mercury emissions are good, because any   
   mercury that is emitted accumulates in the environment and continues to   
   pose a health threat for thousands of years," says Wickman.   
      
   Captures the metal using electrochemistry Five years ago, his research   
   team at Chalmers presented a pioneering method for removing mercury from   
   water using electrochemical processes. The method is based on a metal   
   electrode taking up the toxic metal and forming an alloy. The mercury can   
   then be safely removed, and the electrode reused. Now the researchers   
   have taken this technology one step further, and in a new study they   
   have shown how mercury can be removed from concentrated sulphuric acid.   
      
   The experiments with sulphuric acid were done in collaboration with   
   mining and metals refining company Boliden and the company Atium, a   
   spin-off from the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship with the aim of   
   bringing the removal of mercury from water and chemicals to market. The   
   researchers now hope to be able to move forward with their partners and   
   develop a type of reactor through which sulphuric acid can flow and be   
   purified at the same time.   
      
   Potential to reduce costs and environmental impact Today, mercury is   
   mostly removed at an earlier stage -- from the concentrates and recycled   
   streams at the smelter before sulphuric acid is produced. This is an   
   established process, but leaves trace amounts of mercury into final   
   products.   
      
   "Purifying the sulphuric acid as well prevents additional mercury   
   emissions, while allowing industry to operate more cost-effectively and   
   produce a high- purity, non-toxic product. The next step will be to scale   
   up the method into a pilot process that is closer to real-world volumes   
   of thousands of tonnes," says Vera Roth, doctoral student at Chalmers   
   and first author of the recently published article in the journal ACS   
   ES&T Engineering.   
      
   Hoping for lower limit values According to the Statista database, the   
   worldwide market volume for sulphuric acid amounts to around 260 million   
   tonnes per year. By 2029, this figure is expected to rise to 314 million   
   tonnes. The lower the mercury content of the sulphuric acid, the more   
   valuable it is. Sulphuric acid for commercial purposes is considered to be   
   of acceptable quality when its mercury content is below 0.30 milligrams   
   per kilogram. If the content is below 0.08 milligrams per kilogram, the   
   sulphuric acid is considered to have a high purity. With the new method,   
   the researchers have reduced the level of mercury to 0.02 milligrams   
   per kilogram of sulphuric acid in their pilot study.   
      
   "The limit values for how much mercury sulphuric acid may contain   
   are based on the technology available today. With the new method for   
   purifying sulphuric acid, our hope is that the legislation around the   
   limit values will be tightened in a global perspective where mercury   
   levels are generally much higher," says Wickman.   
      
   Caption: Sulphuric acid is an important industrial chemical, but it often   
   contains one of the world's most toxic substances: the volatile heavy   
   metal mercury, which can pollute both the air and water. Researchers   
   at Chalmers University of Technology have shown that it is possible   
   to reduce the levels of mercury in sulphuric acid by more than 90 per   
   cent -- even from low levels. The study was conducted in collaboration   
   with the spin-off company Atium and mining and metals refining company   
   Boliden. Image:Boliden/Unsplash, Nazrin Babashova More information about   
   the method and the study   
       * The purification method removes mercury from the sulphuric acid by   
         ionising the mercury and its ions forming an alloy with another   
         metal. An electrode with a platinum surface binds the mercury   
         to itself electrochemically. It then takes up the toxic mercury   
         and forms an alloy of the two metals. It is then possible to   
         remove the mercury and regenerate the electrode in a controlled   
         way. This means that the electrode can be reused, and the toxic   
         substance can be safely disposed of. The process is also highly   
         energy-efficient. In an episode of the program UR Samtiden from   
         the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR), Bjo"rn Wickman   
         demonstrates how the method works for removing mercury from water.   
      
       * The article Mercury Removal from Concentrated Sulfuric Acid by   
         Electrochemical Alloy Formation on Platinum is published in   
         the scientific journal ACS ES&T Engineering and was authored   
         by Vera Roth, Julia Ja"rlebark, Alexander Ahrnens, Jens Nyberg,   
         Justin Salminen, Teodora Retegan Vollmer and Bjo"rn Wickman. The   
         authors are active at the Department of Physics and the Department   
         of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers University of   
         Technology, at Atium, and at Boliden.   
      
       * Sulphuric acid is the world's most used chemical. It is an important   
         reagent used in many industries and it is used in the manufacture   
         of everything from chemicals, paper, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics   
         to batteries, detergents and fertilisers. It is an ingredient also   
         for many recycling processes contributing into circular economy   
         and extractive metallurgy.   
      
       * The experiments in the study were performed in a lab environment,   
       in a 50   
         millilitre beaker and subsequently in a 20 litre reactor. The   
         next step will be to scale up the method into a pilot project   
         that is closer to the actual volumes that are usual in industrial   
         applications.   
      
       * The research was funded by Formas and by the strategic innovation   
         programme Swedish Mining Innovation -- a joint venture involving   
         Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency.   
      
   More about heavy metals in the environment   
       * Heavy metals in water and watercourses are an enormous environmental   
         problem that affects the health of millions of people   
         worldwide. Heavy metals are toxic to all living organisms and   
         accumulate in the food chain. According to the World Health   
         Organization, mercury is one of the most harmful substances to   
         human health. Among other things, it affects our nervous system   
         and the brain's development. The substance is therefore especially   
         dangerous for children and foetuses.   
      
       * Today, there are strict regulations governing the handling of   
       toxic heavy   
         metals to prevent their dispersal in the natural   
         environment. However, there are plenty of places that have already   
         been contaminated or are affected by the deposition of airborne   
         mercury that may have come from other countries. As a result,   
         there are areas in our natural environment where the amounts of   
         heavy metals have reached toxic concentrations. For example, high   
         levels of mercury in freshwater fish is a well-known environmental   
         problem. Even in Sweden heavy metal pollution is a serious problem,   
         and the fish in the majority of the lakes contain more mercury   
         than the limit value. In industries where heavy metals are used,   
         as well as in recycling, wastewater treatment and decontamination,   
         there is a great need for new and better methods for removing   
         toxic heavy metals from water.   
      
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   Source: Materials provided by Chalmers_University_of_Technology. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Vera Roth, Julia Ja"rlebark, Alexander Ahrnens, Jens Nyberg, Justin   
         Salminen, Teodora Retegan Vollmer, Bjo"rn Wickman. Mercury Removal   
         from Concentrated Sulfuric Acid by Electrochemical Alloy Formation   
         on Platinum. ACS ES&T Engineering, 2023; 3 (6): 823 DOI: 10.1021/   
         acsestengg.2c00417   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230704110915.htm   
      
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