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Reduction of Mercury Emissions from Manganese
Industryand Secondary Steel Industry

• Tor Faerden
• Senior Adviser
• Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT)

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The Norwegian goal for reduced emissions of
mercury

• Compared with 1995, the emissions
• shall be significantly reduced by 2010.

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Emission and Deposition of Mercury in Norway
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• Reduced Hg emissions from the Manganese Industry
• 2 manganese smelters formerly used ore from
  Australia and South Africa.
• In 1999 the smelters were bought by a corporation
  which also is the owner of a mine in Gabon.
• Change to ore from Gabon would increase mercury
  emissions from 10 to 600-1000 kg per year.
• The smelters were instructed to apply for a
  pollution permit for Hg

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A permit was issued by SFT, allowing the two
smelters to emit 36 and 15 kg mercury per
year.The alternative routes for the
smelters1 To use ore from competitors2 To
install gas cleaning equipmentThe company
decided to go for alternative 2
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• The challenges
• No proven technology was available
• The waste gas is explosive
• The way ahead
• 4 possible suppliers carried out pilot tests at
  one of the plants to demonstrate possible
  technologies and to monitor cleaning efficiency.

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Manganese smelters Simplified flow sheet for
waste gas
CO gas to consumer
Smelting furnace
Wet scrubber
Wet ESP
Hg adsorber
Hg
Dust and PAH
Dust
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• The result
• Installation of full scale gas cleaning
  facilities were completed in 2001/2002.
• Investment per smelter 5 mill EUR
• Cleaning efficiency Hg gt 99
• Dust emission lt 1 mg/Nm3
• Other heavy metals Low emissions

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The secondary steel plant

• Product Reinforcing bars
• Capacity 700 000 tons per year (medium-sized
  secondary steel plant)
• Hg emission 120-150 kg per year
• Raw material Steel scrap of low / medium
  quality, contaminated with heavy metals from
  surface treatment or from components
  previously connected to the steel
• Steel scrap 750 000 tons per year. 50 is
  imported

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Hg-contamination of steel scrap

• Hg in electrical components
• connected to steel constructions
• in used cars
• in instruments and electronic equipment
• in various consumer goods
• Hg in chemicals used for anti-fouling of steel

A volume of Hg similar to 1 matchbox mixed into
2 000 tons of scrap per day is equal to 150 kg
per year
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Testwork done by the steel plant

• Test smelting combined with monitoring of Hg in
  waste gas with
• - Selected types of scrap
• - Scrap from selected suppliers
• Main conclusion

The only way of achieving significant reduction
of Hg emissions is through waste gas cleaning
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The steel process
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The challenges

• - Significant short term variations in
  concentration of dust, Hg and other heavy
  metals
• - No proven technology available
• The way ahead
• A number of possible suppliers of gas cleaning
  technology were invited to make pilot scale tests
  and to monitor cleaning efficiency

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• Test result
• Possible future emission limit value
• 30 kg per year
• Also stricter limit values for dust and other
  heavy metals

Probably possible to clean 95 of Hg in primary
waste gas and 85 of total emissions from the
furnace
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• Decision on new emission limit values has been
  postponed until similar restrictions are given to
  other steel companies in EU.
• Arguments
• Investment (6 mill EUR) and operating cost (1
  mill EUR/year) would weaken the competitive
  strength of the company
• Unfair to place this burden on a
  single company within the steel industry since
  the problem is global and not local

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News in 2006/2007

• The steel plant has been sold to Celsa Group,
  Spain.
• The new owner has decided to convert the steel
  process to
• the CONSTEEL process (preheating and continuous
  charging of scrap into the electric steel
  furnace). Investment 20 mill EUR
• Environmenal adventage
• Easier to collect and treat all waste gas
• The company has applied for a new pollution
  permit where treatment of Hg and improved
  treatment of dust will be included.

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• Future recommendations on the international
  level
• It is recommended that emissions of Hg from
  the steel industry should be examined closely.
• Steps should be taken to regulate Hg
  emissions from relevant industries.