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Mercury emission from sewage sludge incineration in Japan

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Abstract

Sewage sludge contains trace amounts of mercury, and sewage sludge incineration is a major source of mercury emissions. However, relatively few studies have reported on mercury emissions from sewage sludge incineration. Consequently, data on emissions from sewage sludge incinerators must be updated to estimate current emissions of mercury. In this study, we examined mercury emissions and speciation using continuous mercury analyzers in two incinerators. The mercury concentrations in stack gas from facilities A and B were 36.6 and 21.1 μg/Nm3, respectively. As a result, the emission rate was calculated to be 0.282–0.750 g/ton-dry sludge. Considering the total amount of sewage sludge incinerated in Japan, the mercury emissions from sewage sludge incinerators were estimated to be 0.49–1.31 tons/year.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful for financial support in the form of a Grant-in-Aid for Waste Treatment Research from the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (Proposal No. K1852, 1940, K2006, K2147), and for the cooperation with the sampling and mercury analysis from Osaka Prefecture and Nippon Instruments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan

    Masaki Takaoka, Shingo Domoto, Kazuyuki Oshita & Shinsuke Morisawa

  2. Eco-Technology Research Center, Ritsumeikan University, Noji Higashi 1-1-1, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan

    Nobuo Takeda

Authors
  1. Masaki Takaoka
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  2. Shingo Domoto
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  3. Kazuyuki Oshita
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  4. Nobuo Takeda
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  5. Shinsuke Morisawa
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Correspondence to Masaki Takaoka.

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Takaoka, M., Domoto, S., Oshita, K. et al. Mercury emission from sewage sludge incineration in Japan. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 14, 113–119 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-012-0044-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-012-0044-2

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