Pilot-test of the calcium sodium phosphate (CNP) process for the stabilization/solidification of various mercury-contaminated wastes

A pilot-scale calcium sodium phosphate (CNP) plant was designed and manufactured to examine the performance of recently developed stabilization/solidification (S/S) technology. Hg-contaminated wastes samples generated via various industrial processes in Korea, including municipal, industrial, and medical waste incineration, wastewater treatment, and lime production, were collected and treated using the pilot-scale CNP plant. S/S samples were fabricated according to various operating conditions, including waste type, the dose of the stabilization reagent (Na2S), and the waste loading ratio. Although the performances (Hg leaching value and compressive strength) were reduced as the waste loading ratio increased, most of the S/S samples exhibited Hg leaching values that were below the universal treatment standard limit of 25 μg L−1 and compressive strengths that exceeded the criterion of 3.45 MPa.