US20230295771A1

US20230295771A1 - Waste mercury recovery device

Info

Publication number: US20230295771A1
Application number: US17/655,009
Authority: US
Inventors: Xianghao Meng; Yangdanjie Zeng; Youli Wan; Jiang Tian
Original assignee: Chengdu Univeristy of Technology
Current assignee: Chengdu Univeristy of Technology
Priority date: 2022-03-16
Filing date: 2022-03-16
Publication date: 2023-09-21

Abstract

A waste mercury recovery device including an infrared heater, used for heating mercury-containing waste; a waste mercury device, placed on the infrared heater, and used for holding the mercury-containing waste; a pure mercury recovery extractor, including a mercury vapor cooling part and a pure mercury storage part; a mercury vapor cooling part, communicated with the waste mercury device, and used for cooling mercury vapor; and a pure mercury storage part, communicated with the mercury vapor cooling part, and used for storing cooled and liquefied mercury.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of waste mercury treatment, and in particular, to a waste mercury recovery device.

BACKGROUND ART

With the rapid development of national economy, the requirement for environmental protection is higher and higher. The treatment of mercury, an important pollution factor of the environment, is very important. Mercury pollution comes from mercury-containing waste liquid and waste residue produced in industrial production, mercury-containing barium sulfate sludge produced in a chemical production process, tailings produced in mercury ore mining and dressing, dust collected by dust collection (removal) devices, brine purification sludge produced by brine refining in a process of producing chlorine by a mercury electrolytic cell method, etc. Mercury vapor is difficult to excrete if it is inhaled into the lungs by people. The inhalation of mercury by children will seriously affect the growth and development of children. More seriously, if the mercury enters a water system, is absorbed by fish, and then is converted into organic mercury, the toxicity will increase greatly, and fatal diseases may occur if people eat these polluted fish, so the treatment of mercury is particularly important.
Traditional treatment methods treat mercury from three aspects of mercury-containing wastewater, mercury-containing waste, and mercury-containing waste gas respectively. The traditional treatment of the mercury-containing wastewater is to separate mercury from water by a chemical precipitation method or a physical precipitation method. The traditional treatment of the mercury-containing waste is to produce a “regenerated mercury catalyst” through chemical activation recovery. The traditional treatment of the mercury-containing waste gas is to adsorb the mercury waste in a gas phase through activated carbon. The traditional treatment methods cannot recover and reuse waste mercury, each treatment method can only treat one type of mercury-containing substances, and the treatment method is single.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure mainly aims to solve the recycling of mercury-containing waste, and provides a waste mercury recovery device. The mercury-containing waste is heated by using an infrared heater, and the generated mercury vapor passes through a cooling device to recover mercury, which solves the problems that the type of the mercury-containing waste treated by traditional treatment methods is single and the waste mercury cannot be recycled.
To achieve the abovementioned objective, the present disclosure provides the following technical solution.
The mercury-containing waste is placed in a mercury-containing device and is heated by using an infrared heater. The mercury vapor generated after heating flows into a mercury vapor cooling part for cooling. Liquid mercury obtained after cooling the mercury vapor is purified mercury. The purified mercury is stored into a pure mercury storage part through a bottom of an inner pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part.
A waste mercury recovery device includes:

- an infrared heater, used for heating mercury-containing waste;
- a waste mercury device, placed on the infrared heater, and used for holding the mercury-containing waste;
- a pure mercury recovery extractor, including a mercury vapor cooling part and a pure mercury storage part;
- a mercury vapor cooling part, communicated with the waste mercury device, and used for cooling mercury vapor; and
- a pure mercury storage part, communicated with the mercury vapor cooling part, and used for storing cooled and liquefied mercury.

Preferably, the mercury vapor cooling part includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe arranged outside the inner pipe in a sleeving manner. The inner pipe is communicated with the waste mercury device. The outer pipe is used for holding a refrigerant.
Preferably, the refrigerant of the waste mercury device is liquid nitrogen.
The waste mercury recovery device further includes:

- a liquid nitrogen tank, used for storing liquid nitrogen;
- a liquid nitrogen input pipe, one end being communicated with a bottom of the outer pipe, and the other end being communicated with the liquid nitrogen tank;
- a liquid nitrogen output pipe, one end being communicated with a top of the outer pipe, and the other end being communicated with the liquid nitrogen tank; and
- a liquid nitrogen pump, arranged on the liquid nitrogen input pipe, and used for conveying liquid nitrogen to the outer pipe.

Preferably, a pipe wall of the outer pipe and a pipe wall of the pure mercury storage part are integrally formed. The mercury vapor cooling part is located at an upper part of the pure mercury storage part, and a partition plate is arranged between the mercury vapor cooling part and the pure mercury storage part. The partition plate is used for partitioning the internal space of the outer pipe from the internal space of the pure mercury storage part.
Preferably, an opening of a lower end of the inner pipe penetrates through the partition plate and is inserted into the pure mercury storage part.
Preferably, a mercury vapor inlet is formed in an outer wall of the pure mercury storage part. The position of the mercury vapor inlet is higher than that of an outlet of the waste mercury device, and is communicated with the outlet of the waste mercury device.
Preferably, a vent hole is formed in a top of the inner pipe.
Preferably, the inner pipe is fixed to an inner wall of the outer pipe through a fixed frame.
Preferably, a pure mercury output end with a valve is arranged at a bottom of the pure mercury storage part.
The waste mercury recovery device further includes a mercury vapor conveying pipeline. Preferably, one end of the mercury vapor conveying pipeline is communicated with the mercury vapor inlet, and the other end of the mercury vapor conveying pipeline is communicated with the outlet of the waste mercury device.
The present disclosure has the following advantages that:
The embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a waste mercury device. The mercury-containing waste in the waste mercury device is heated through the infrared heater, so as to generate mercury vapor. The mercury vapor is cooled by using the mercury vapor cooling part, the liquid mercury obtained after cooling the mercury vapor is purified mercury. The purified mercury is stored into the pure mercury storage part through the opening of the lower end of the inner pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, various types of mercury-containing waste in the waste mercury device are heated to generate the mercury vapor by using the infrared heater. The mercury vapor is stored in the pure mercury storage part after being cooled through the mercury vapor cooling part. A plurality of types of mercury-containing waste can be treated, which solves the problem that the type of the treated waste mercury is single, and recycling of the waste mercury is realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or in the prior art more clearly, the following briefly describes the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Apparently, the drawings in the following description show merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those of ordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these drawings without creative efforts.

The drawing is a schematic diagram of a device of the present disclosure.

Reference signs in the drawings: I-infrared heater, II-waste mercury device, III-pure mercury storage part, IV-mercury vapor cooling part, V-liquid nitrogen tank, VI-liquid nitrogen pump, VII-liquid nitrogen input pipe, and VIII-liquid nitrogen output pipe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

To make the objective, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, implementation manners disclosed by the present disclosure will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment

The present embodiment provides a waste mercury recovery device. The device includes: an infrared heater, a waste mercury device, and a pure mercury recovery extractor. The infrared heater is used for heating mercury-containing waste. The waste mercury device is placed on the infrared heater, and is used for holding the mercury-containing waste. The pure mercury recovery extractor includes a mercury vapor cooling part and a pure mercury storage part. The mercury vapor cooling part is communicated with the waste mercury device, and is used for cooling mercury vapor. The pure mercury storage part is communicated with the mercury vapor cooling part, and is used for storing cooled and liquefied mercury.
Referring to the drawing, the mercury vapor cooling part IV may specifically include an inner pipe and an outer pipe arranged outside the inner pipe in a sleeving manner. The inner pipe is communicated with the waste mercury device II. The outer pipe is used for holding a refrigerant. The refrigerant is preferably liquid nitrogen.
In the present embodiment, the waste mercury recovery device may further include: a liquid nitrogen circulating system. The liquid nitrogen circulating system includes a liquid nitrogen tank V, a liquid nitrogen pump VI, a liquid nitrogen input pipe VII, and a liquid nitrogen output pipe VIII. The liquid nitrogen tank V is used for storing the liquid nitrogen. One end of the liquid nitrogen input pipe VII is communicated with a bottom of the outer pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part IV, and the other end is communicated with the liquid nitrogen tank V. One end of the liquid nitrogen output pipe VIII is communicated with a top of the outer pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part IV, and the other end is communicated with the liquid nitrogen tank V. The liquid nitrogen pump VI is arranged on the liquid nitrogen input pipe, and is used for conveying liquid nitrogen to the outer pipe.
Referring to the drawing, in the present embodiment, a pipe wall of the outer pipe and a pipe wall of the pure mercury storage part III are integrally formed. The mercury vapor cooling part IV is located at an upper part of the pure mercury storage part III, and a partition plate is arranged between the mercury vapor cooling part IV and the pure mercury storage part III. The partition plate is used for partitioning the internal space of the outer pipe from the internal space of the pure mercury storage part III. An opening of a lower end of the inner pipe penetrates through the partition plate and is inserted into the pure mercury storage part III. A mercury vapor inlet is formed in an outer wall of the pure mercury storage part III. The position of the mercury vapor inlet is higher than that of an outlet of the waste mercury device II, and is communicated with the outlet of the waste mercury device II.
Of course, the pipe wall of the outer pipe of the pure mercury storage part III and the pipe wall of the outer pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part IV may be not integrated. At this moment, a specific connection manner may be as follows: the mercury vapor cooling part IV is located above the pure mercury storage part III. A connecting hole is formed in each of the bottom of the mercury vapor cooling part IV and the top of the pure mercury storage part III. The inner pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part IV is inserted into the connecting hole in the top of the pure mercury storage part III through the connecting hole in the bottom of the mercury vapor cooling part IV. The positions of the connecting holes are located in the centers of the top of the pure mercury storage part III and the bottom of the mercury vapor cooling part IV, so as to ensure cooling uniformity.
In the present embodiment, a vent hole is formed in the top of the inner pipe and is communicated with the outside world. Cooling liquid nitrogen cools circularly all the time to liquefy the vapor, and meanwhile, it also ensures that the air pressure in the inner pipe is not too high. In addition, an air hole is also formed in the top of the inner pipe of the present embodiment, so that the pressure in the inner pipe is balanced through the air hole in a case that the cooling liquid nitrogen cannot completely guarantee the pressure in the inner pipe.
Referring to the drawing, the inner pipe is fixed to the outer wall of the outer pipe through a fixed frame. A pure mercury output end with a valve is arranged at a bottom of the pure mercury storage part III, so as to collect purified mercury at any time. One end of a mercury vapor conveying pipeline is communicated with the mercury vapor inlet, and the other end of the mercury vapor conveying pipeline is communicated with the outlet of the waste mercury device, so that the mercury vapor enters the pure mercury storage part III through the mercury vapor conveying pipeline, and the mercury vapor then enters the inner pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part through the bottom of the inner pipe, inserted into the pure mercury storage part III, of the mercury vapor cooling part.
A working principle of the waste mercury recovery device provided by the present embodiment is as follows.
The waste mercury device II is used for holding the mercury-containing waste, the mercury-containing waste in the waste mercury device II is heated by using the infrared heater I, and the generated mercury vapor flows into the mercury vapor cooling part IV through the pure mercury storage part III. The liquid nitrogen is pumped from the liquid nitrogen tank through the liquid nitrogen pump. The liquid nitrogen flows in through the liquid nitrogen input pipe VII and flows out through the liquid nitrogen output pipe VIII to form a circulating cooling system with the mercury vapor cooling part IV, so as to cool the mercury vapor. The cooled mercury vapor is purified mercury, and is stored into the pure mercury storage part III through the opening of the lower end of the inner pipe of the mercury vapor cooling part.
The foregoing descriptions are merely the best specific implementation manners of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variation or replacement readily figured out by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
The contents not described in detail in the specification of the present disclosure belong to the technology in the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A waste mercury recovery device, comprising:

an infrared heater, used for heating mercury-containing waste;

a waste mercury device, placed on the infrared heater, and used for holding the mercury-containing waste;

a pure mercury recovery extractor, comprising a mercury vapor cooling part and a pure mercury storage part;

a mercury vapor cooling part, communicated with the waste mercury device, and used for cooling mercury vapor; and

a pure mercury storage part, communicated with the mercury vapor cooling part, and used for storing cooled and liquefied mercury.

2. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the mercury vapor cooling part includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe arranged outside the inner pipe in a sleeving manner; the inner pipe is communicated with the waste mercury device; and the outer pipe is used for holding a refrigerant.

3. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 2, wherein the refrigerant is liquid nitrogen; the waste mercury recovery device further comprises:

a liquid nitrogen tank, used for storing the liquid nitrogen;

a liquid nitrogen input pipe, a first end being communicated with a bottom of the outer pipe, and a second end being communicated with the liquid nitrogen tank;

a liquid nitrogen output pipe, a first end being communicated with a top of the outer pipe, and a second end being communicated with the liquid nitrogen tank; and

a liquid nitrogen pump, arranged on the liquid nitrogen input pipe, and used for conveying liquid nitrogen to the outer pipe.

4. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 2, wherein a pipe wall of the outer pipe and a pipe wall of the pure mercury storage part are integrally formed; the mercury vapor cooling part is located at an upper part of the pure mercury storage part, and a partition plate is arranged between the mercury vapor cooling part and the pure mercury storage part; the partition plate is used for partitioning the internal space of the outer pipe from the internal space of the pure mercury storage part; an opening of a lower end of the inner pipe penetrates through the partition plate and is inserted into the pure mercury storage part; a mercury vapor inlet is formed in an outer wall of the pure mercury storage part; and the mercury vapor inlet, with a position higher than that of an outlet of the waste mercury device, is communicated with the outlet of the waste mercury device.

5. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 2, wherein a vent hole is formed in a top of the inner pipe.

6. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 2, wherein the inner pipe is fixed to an inner wall of the outer pipe through a fixed frame.

7. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 1, wherein a pure mercury output end with a valve is arranged at a bottom of the pure mercury storage part.

8. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 2, wherein a pure mercury output end with a valve is arranged at a bottom of the pure mercury storage part.

9. The waste mercury recovery device according to claim 4, further comprising a mercury vapor conveying pipeline, wherein a first end of the mercury vapor conveying pipeline is communicated with the mercury vapor inlet, and a second end of the mercury vapor conveying pipeline is communicated with the outlet of the waste mercury device.