References

ACP

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ACP

1680-7324

Copernicus GmbH

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/acp-12-11153-2012

Update of mercury emissions from China's primary zinc, lead and copper smelters, 2000–2010

Q. R.

¹ Wang

S. X.

¹ Zhang

¹ Song

J. X.

¹ Yang

¹ Meng

School of Environment, and State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

26 11 2012

12 22 11153 11163

This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/12/11153/2012/acp-12-11153-2012.html

The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/12/11153/2012/acp-12-11153-2012.pdf

China is the largest anthropogenic mercury emitter in the world, where primary nonferrous metal smelting is regarded as one of the most significant emission sources. In this study, atmospheric mercury emissions from primary zinc, lead and copper smelters in China between 2000–2010 were estimated using a technology-based methodology with comprehensive consideration of mercury concentration in concentrates, smelting processes, mercury removal efficiencies of air pollution control devices (APCDs) and the application percentage of a certain type of APCD combinations. Our study indicated that atmospheric mercury emissions from nonferrous metal smelters in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2010 were 67.6, 100.1, 86.7, 80.6 and 72.5 t, respectively. In 2010, the amounts of mercury emitted into atmosphere were 39.4 ± 31.5, 30.6 ± 29.1, and 2.5 ± 1.1 t from primary zinc, lead and copper smelters, respectively. The largest amount of mercury was emitted from the Gansu province, followed by Henan, Yunnan, Hunan, Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi provinces. Hg2+, Hg0 and Hgp emissions from zinc smelters were 25.6, 11.8 and 1.97 t, respectively. The emissions percentages of Hg2+ and Hg0 were almost the same from lead and copper smelters. The average mercury removal efficiency was 90.5 ± 52.5%, 71.2 ± 63.7% and 91.8 ± 40.7% in zinc, lead, and copper smelters, respectively.

References 1

CNMIA (Chinese Nonferrous Metal Industry Association): The yearbook of nonferrous metals industry of China (2011), Chinese nonferrous metal industry association publications, Beijing, China, 2011.

Feng, X. B., Li, G. H., and Qiu, G. L.: A preliminary study on mercury contamination to the environment from artisanal zinc smelting using indigenous methods in Hezhang county, Guizhou, China – Part 1: Mercury emission from zinc smelting and its influences on the surface waters, Atmos. Environ., 38, 6223–6230, 2004.

Feng, X., Streets, D., Hao, J., Wu, Y., and Li, G.: Mercury emissions from industrial sources in China, Springer, New York, USA, chap. 3, 67–79, 2009.

Fukuda, N., Takaoka, M., Doumoto, S., Oshita, K., Morisawa, S., and Mizuno, T.: Mercury emission and behavior in primary ferrous metal production, Atmos. Environ., 45, 3685–3691, 2011.

Hylander, L. D. and Herbert, R. B.: Global emission and production of mercury during the pyrometallurgical extraction of nonferrous sulfide ores, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 5971–5977, 2008.

Kocman, D. and Horvat, M.: Non-point source mercury emission from the Idrija Hg-mine province: Gis mercury emission model, J. Environ. Manage., 92, 2038–2046, 2011.

Li, G. H., Feng, X. B., Li, Z. G., Qiu, G. L., Shang, L. H., Liang, P., Wang, D. Y., and Yang, Y. K.: Mercury emission to atmosphere from primary Zn production in China, Sci. Total Environ., 408, 4607–4612, 2010.

Li, P., Feng, X. B., Qiu, G. L., Shang, L. H., and Li, Z. G.: Mercury pollution in Asia: A review of the contaminated sites, J. Hazard. Mater., 168, 591–601, 2009.

Lin, C.-J., Pan, L., Streets, D. G., Shetty, S. K., Jang, C., Feng, X., Chu, H.-W., and Ho, T. C.: Estimating mercury emission outflow from East Asia using CMAQ-Hg, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 1853–1864, http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-1853-2010doi:10.5194/acp-10-1853-2010, 2010.

Nriagu, J. O. and Pacyna, J. M.: Quantitative assessment of worldwide contamination of air, water and soils by trace-metals, Nature, 333, 134–139, 1988.

Pacyna, J. M.: Emission inventories of atmospheric mercury from anthropogenic sources, in: Global and regional mercury cycles: sources, fluxes and mass balances, Nato science partnership subseries 2, edited by: Baeyens, W., Ebinghaus, R., and Vasiliev, O., Reidel publishing company, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 123–136, 1996.

Pacyna, E. G. and Pacyna, J. M.: Global emission of mercury from anthropogenic sources in 1995, Water Air Soil Pollut., 137, 149–165, 2002.

Pacyna, E. G., Pacyna, J. M., Steenhuisen, F., and Wilson, S.: Global anthropogenic mercury emission inventory for 2000, Atmos. Environ., 40, 4048–4063, 2006.

Pacyna, E. G., Pacyna, J. M., Sundseth, K., Munthe, J., Kindbom, K., and Wilson, S.: Global emission of mercury to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources in 2005 and projections to 2020, Atmos. Environ., 44, 2487–2499, 2010.

Pirrone, N., Keeler, G. J., and Nriagu, J. O.: Regional differences in worldwide emissions of mercury to the atmosphere, Atmos. Environ., 30, 2981–2987, 1996.

Pirrone, N., Cinnirella, S., Feng, X., Finkelman, R. B., Friedli, H. R., Leaner, J., Mason, R., Mukherjee, A. B., Stracher, G. B., Streets, D. G., and Telmer, K.: Global mercury emissions to the atmosphere from anthropogenic and natural sources, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 5951–5964, http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-5951-2010doi:10.5194/acp-10-5951-2010, 2010.

Streets, D. G., Bond, T. C., Carmichael, G. R., Feamdes, S. D., Fu, Q., He, D., Klimont, Z., Nelson, S. M., Tsai, N. Y., Wang, M. Q., Woo, J.-H., and Yarber, K. F.: An inventory of gaseous and primary aerosol emissions in Asia in the year 2000, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 8809–8831, 2003.

Streets, D. G., Hao, J. M., Wu, Y., Jiang, J. K., Chan, M., Tian, H. Z., and Feng, X. B.: Anthropogenic mercury emissions in China, Atmos. Environ., 39, 7789–-7806, 2005.

Strode, S., Jaegle, L., and Selin, N. E.: Impact of mercury emissions from historic gold and silver mining: global modeling, Atmos. Environ., 43, 2012–2017, 2009.

The State Council of the People's Republic of China: Notice on further strengthening the work of eliminating out-of-date production capacity, online available at: http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2010-04/06/content_1573880.htm, 2010.

Tian, H. Z., Wang, Y., Xue, Z. G., Cheng, K., Qu, Y. P., Chai, F. H., and Hao, J. M.: Trend and characteristics of atmospheric emissions of Hg, As, and Se from coal combustion in China, 1980–2007, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 11905–11919, http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-11905-2010doi:10.5194/acp-10-11905-2010, 2010.

Wang, S. X., Liu, M., Jiang, J. K., Hao, J. M., Wu, Y., and Streets, D. G.: Estimate the mercury emissions from non-coal sources in china, Chinese Environ. Sci., 27, 2401–2406, 2006.

Wang, S. X., Song, J. X., Li, G. H., Wu, Y., Zhang, L., Wan, Q., Streets, D. G., Chin, C. K., and Hao, J. M.: Estimating mercury emissions from a Zinc smelter in relation to China's mercury control polices, Environ. Pollut., 158, 3347–3353, 2010.

Wu, C. L., Cao, Y., Dong, Z. B., Cheng, C. M., Li, H. X., and Pan, W. P.: Evaluation of mercury speciation and removal through air pollution control devices of a 190 MW boiler, J. Environ. Sci., 22, 277–282, 2010.

Wu, Y., Wang, S. X., Streets, D. G., Hao, J. M., Chan, M., and Jiang, J. K.: Trends in anthropogenic mercury emissions in China from 1995 to 2003, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40, 5312–5318, 2006.

Yin, R. S., Feng, X. B., Li, Z. G., Zhang, Q., Bi, X. W., Li, G. H., Liu, J. L., Zhu, J. J., and Wang, J. X.: Metallogeny and environmental impact of Hg in Zn deposits in China, Appl. Geochem., 27, 151–160, 2012.

Zhang, L., Wang, S. X., Wu, Q. R., Meng, Y., Yang, H., Wang, F. Y., and Hao, J. M.: Were mercury emission factors for Chinese non-ferrous metal smelters overestimated? Evidence from onsite measurements in six smelters, Environ. Pollut., 171C, 109–117, 2012.