Importance

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Abstract

A method for dealing with mercury-containing waste including button-type batteries, wherein the waste is heated in a furnace while being agitated and in the presence of elementary selenium vapour in an amount sufficient to form mercury-selenide from essentially all the mercury contained by the waste. The waste is heated to a temperature at which mercury and selenium will be present in a gaseous state and at which solid mercury-selenide will not form, and a partial pressure of oxygen is maintained at a sufficiently low level to avoid oxidation of the selenium. The thus treated mercury-freed waste is extracted from the resultant process gas and from any other solid material that may be present and is either dumped or worked-up metallurgically. After the waste has been extracted from the process gas, the process gas is cooled to extract therefrom solid, stable mercury-selenide dust suitable for dumping, whereafter the gas is passed through a filter with the intention of extracting any gaseous mercury that may remain in the gas, whereafter the thus cleansed gas is released into the atmosphere. The invention also relates to a plant for treating mercury-containing waste.

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First Claim