US3647359A - Recovery of mercury - Google Patents

Recovery of mercury Download PDF

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Publication number
US3647359A
US3647359A US854195A US3647359DA US3647359A US 3647359 A US3647359 A US 3647359A US 854195 A US854195 A US 854195A US 3647359D A US3647359D A US 3647359DA US 3647359 A US3647359 A US 3647359A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
mercury
solution
hypochlorite
sodium
alkaline
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US854195A
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English (en)
Inventor
David Bell
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BP Chemicals Ltd
BP Chemicals UK Ltd
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BP Chemicals Ltd
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B43/00—Obtaining mercury
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D53/00—Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
    • B01D53/34—Chemical or biological purification of waste gases
    • B01D53/46—Removing components of defined structure
    • B01D53/64—Heavy metals or compounds thereof, e.g. mercury

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the discovery of mercury from mercury-laden streams of gases.
  • the electrolysis of sodium chloride solution for example, in a cell containing graphite anodes and a mercury cathode is well known.
  • One of the products of the electrolysis of sodium chloride in mercury cathode cells is sodium amalgam, which is conventionally reacted with water in the denuder to produce sodium hydroxide solution and hydrogen.
  • the hydrogen obtained from the denuder is substantially saturated with mercury vapor.
  • Conventionally the hydrogen is cooled so that part of the mercury content is removed directly. It is economically desirable to recover the remaining part of mercury from the hydrogen.
  • wash boxes where it is washed with brine and clean water.
  • wash boxes It is usual for these wash boxes to have loose fitting lids and, in order to prevent mercury vapor escaping to the atmosphere and causing a health hazard, to supply a suction to them by means of a fan.
  • the air thus drawn through wash boxes, known as degassing air, is normally discharged to atmosphere so that a loss of mercury results. It is desirable to recover the mercury from the degassing air.
  • the present invention is a method of removal of mercury from a stream of gas containing mercury vapor by scrubbing the stream with alkaline hypochlorite solution containing alkali metal chloride or calcium chloride substantially in excess of the chemical equivalent of the alkaline hypochlorite.
  • a particular advantage of this invention is that the scrubbed gas stream is not contaminated with chlorine as would be the case if acid chlorine-containing solutions are used.
  • the alkaline hypochlorite solution is suitably sodium hypochlorite.
  • Sodium hypochlorite solutions are well known in commerce and normally contain sodium hypochlorite and sodium chloride of approximately equimolar proportions.
  • mercury vapor is reacted with such solutions, or with solutions prepared by diluting the commercial solutions with water, a precipitate of insoluble mercury compounds is formed. This is inconvenient because it tends to settle out in vessels and pipelines and the like and makes the recovery of the mercury more difiicult. It has now been discovered that if additional alkali metal chloride or calcium chloride is added to the alkaline hypochlorite solution, the mercury remains in solution, possibly in the form of a complex anion.
  • the amount of additional sodium or calcium chloride to prevent mercury compounds precipitating depends upon the composition of the solution particularly with respect to pH. For example, the amount of sodium chloride needed to prevent precipitation from a solution containing g./l. mercuric chloride and 5 g./l. available chlorine at various pHs shown in the FlGURE.
  • the mercury vapor can be absorbed effectively from gas streams by dilute solutions of such hypochlorite containing additional alkali metal chloride.
  • the solution should have an available chlorine content of at least about 0.02 g./l. About 25 g./l. available chlorine is a usually convenient upper limit, although it is possible to use higher available chlorine contents.
  • the pH should be controlled between approximately 8 and 12, and preferably between pH 9 and pH 10.5.
  • the minimum sodium chloride content of a solution containing 5 g ./l. of available chlorine in the preferred pH range is 40 g./l. at pH 9 and 140 g./l. at pH 10.5 for operation at ambient temperature.
  • Washing the mercury-containing gas streams may be carried out in any gas-liquid contacting device, for example, a column packed with Raschig rings or on diffuser plates. It may be carried out at ambient temperature or at any other convenient temperature.
  • Mercury may be recovered from the solution either chemically or electrolytically.
  • a suitable electrolytic cell for recovering the mercury contains a graphite or platinized titanium anode and a mercury cathode.
  • the mercury in solution is reduced to mercury at the cathode.
  • the mercury in solution is then recovered electrolytically at the cathode.
  • EXAMPLE 1 The following example illustrates the absorption of mercury vapor from air using a porous ceramic diffuser plate.
  • the diameter of the diffuser plate was 3 inches and the static height of liquor above the plate was 5 inches.
  • the liquor contained l g./l. Av. Cl and g./l. NaCl at pH 10.7 and 50 C.
  • the air rate was 430 ft.”/ft. hr. containing 50 mg./m. mercury vapor.
  • the exit concentration of mercury in the air was 0.17 mg./m. showing that over 99 percent of the mercury was absorbed.
  • EXAMPLE 2 The following example illustrates the absorption of mercury from hydrogen using a column packed with Raschig rings. The diameter of the tower was 6 inches and the height of the packing 15 inches. The temperature of the absorbing solution was l5-20 C. The results of four of the runs are shown on Table 1.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Treating Waste Gases (AREA)
  • Hydrogen, Water And Hydrids (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Electrolytic Production Of Non-Metals, Compounds, Apparatuses Therefor (AREA)
  • Cookers (AREA)
US854195A 1968-09-21 1969-08-29 Recovery of mercury Expired - Lifetime US3647359A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB4498468 1968-09-21

Publications (1)

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US3647359A true US3647359A (en) 1972-03-07

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US854195A Expired - Lifetime US3647359A (en) 1968-09-21 1969-08-29 Recovery of mercury

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US (1) US3647359A (enrdf_load_html_response)
JP (1) JPS496016B1 (enrdf_load_html_response)
BE (1) BE738754A (enrdf_load_html_response)
DE (1) DE1945173B2 (enrdf_load_html_response)
ES (1) ES371376A1 (enrdf_load_html_response)
FR (1) FR2018576A1 (enrdf_load_html_response)
GB (1) GB1250171A (enrdf_load_html_response)
NL (1) NL6913832A (enrdf_load_html_response)
NO (1) NO122156B (enrdf_load_html_response)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3736724A (en) * 1972-01-13 1973-06-05 E Wygasch Method of drying and demercurizing hydrogen
US3755110A (en) * 1970-03-18 1973-08-28 Basf Ag Process for the recovery of mercury from the brine filter sludge obtained in the electrolysis of alkali metal chlorides by the amalgam process
US3847598A (en) * 1970-12-31 1974-11-12 Bp Chem Int Ltd Mercury recovery process
US4149943A (en) * 1977-08-31 1979-04-17 Ppg Industries, Inc. Method of recovering mercury
US4274842A (en) * 1979-01-10 1981-06-23 Ab Svenska Flaktfabriken Method of purifying gas containing gaseous mercury
US4640751A (en) * 1984-10-19 1987-02-03 Boliden Aktiebolag Method for the purification of gases containing mercury and simultaneous recovery of the mercury in metallic form
US5093024A (en) * 1988-09-08 1992-03-03 Eps Environmental Protection Systems Limited Composition able to absorb mercury vapor and to disinfect a surface
US6294139B1 (en) * 1994-09-21 2001-09-25 Lab S.A. Methods for wet cleaning or purifying gases or fumes to remove gaseous pollutants
CN102516022A (zh) * 2011-12-06 2012-06-27 中南大学 一种综合处理氯乙烯合成气的方法

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE347019B (enrdf_load_html_response) * 1970-07-16 1972-07-24 Mo Och Domsjoe Ab
GB1368966A (en) * 1970-12-31 1974-10-02 Bp Chem Int Ltd Mercury recovery process
JPS6230532A (ja) * 1985-07-31 1987-02-09 Nippon Kokan Kk <Nkk> 排ガス中の水銀除去方法
US5024738A (en) * 1985-12-31 1991-06-18 Gte Products Corporation Recovery of mercury from mercury compounds via electrolytic methods
JPWO2019187664A1 (ja) * 2018-03-30 2021-04-15 株式会社大阪ソーダ 排ガス処理方法

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1637481A (en) * 1924-11-14 1927-08-02 Glaeser Walter Method of producing mercury
US1984164A (en) * 1931-06-30 1934-12-11 Degea Ag Process and apparatus for purifying air vitiated with mercury vapors
US2300965A (en) * 1941-06-23 1942-11-03 Randall Merle Method for treating mercury mines
US3115389A (en) * 1960-12-15 1963-12-24 Ici Ltd Treatment of brine
US3194629A (en) * 1962-02-23 1965-07-13 Pittsburgh Activated Carbon Co Method of removing mercury vapor from gases

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1637481A (en) * 1924-11-14 1927-08-02 Glaeser Walter Method of producing mercury
US1984164A (en) * 1931-06-30 1934-12-11 Degea Ag Process and apparatus for purifying air vitiated with mercury vapors
US2300965A (en) * 1941-06-23 1942-11-03 Randall Merle Method for treating mercury mines
US3115389A (en) * 1960-12-15 1963-12-24 Ici Ltd Treatment of brine
US3194629A (en) * 1962-02-23 1965-07-13 Pittsburgh Activated Carbon Co Method of removing mercury vapor from gases

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3755110A (en) * 1970-03-18 1973-08-28 Basf Ag Process for the recovery of mercury from the brine filter sludge obtained in the electrolysis of alkali metal chlorides by the amalgam process
US3847598A (en) * 1970-12-31 1974-11-12 Bp Chem Int Ltd Mercury recovery process
US3736724A (en) * 1972-01-13 1973-06-05 E Wygasch Method of drying and demercurizing hydrogen
US4149943A (en) * 1977-08-31 1979-04-17 Ppg Industries, Inc. Method of recovering mercury
US4274842A (en) * 1979-01-10 1981-06-23 Ab Svenska Flaktfabriken Method of purifying gas containing gaseous mercury
US4640751A (en) * 1984-10-19 1987-02-03 Boliden Aktiebolag Method for the purification of gases containing mercury and simultaneous recovery of the mercury in metallic form
US5093024A (en) * 1988-09-08 1992-03-03 Eps Environmental Protection Systems Limited Composition able to absorb mercury vapor and to disinfect a surface
US6294139B1 (en) * 1994-09-21 2001-09-25 Lab S.A. Methods for wet cleaning or purifying gases or fumes to remove gaseous pollutants
CN102516022A (zh) * 2011-12-06 2012-06-27 中南大学 一种综合处理氯乙烯合成气的方法
CN102516022B (zh) * 2011-12-06 2014-04-30 中南大学 一种综合处理氯乙烯合成气的方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL6913832A (enrdf_load_html_response) 1970-03-24
DE1945173B2 (de) 1971-12-30
BE738754A (enrdf_load_html_response) 1970-03-11
NO122156B (enrdf_load_html_response) 1971-05-24
DE1945173A1 (de) 1970-08-27
FR2018576A1 (enrdf_load_html_response) 1970-05-29
JPS496016B1 (enrdf_load_html_response) 1974-02-12
ES371376A1 (es) 1971-10-16
GB1250171A (enrdf_load_html_response) 1971-10-20

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