Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe (NICOLE) has published a booklet on “Risk Based Management of Mercury-Impacted Sites”.
The Mercury Working Group of NICOLE has spent the last couple of years collecting relevant case studies and developing best practice recommendations for the characterisation and risk assessment and remediation / management of Hg-impacted sites. The booklet is the final deliverable of the Working Group.
You may download the booklet with the temporary link or email the NICOLE secretariat for a new link.
Mercury (Hg) is listed as a priority hazardous substance and is being subjected to phase-out. Recent legislative texts and government policies restrict the industrial use of Hg in Europe, ban the export of metallic Hg outside of the EU, require safe storage of metallic Hg and will undoubtedly lead to the closure and redevelopment of some industrial operations using Hg.
The European Commission’s updated Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) for the chlor-alkali industry, published in December 2013, states that Hg cells are no longer considered as Best Available Technology (BAT). Consequently, Hg cell technology can no longer be used in EU-based chlor-alkali sites permitted under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) beyond 11th December 2017.
Most of the affected facilities will need to be investigated and management measures may subsequently be required. This concerns not only chlor-alkali plants using the Hg cell process, which are the majority industrial user of Hg in Europe, but also other industrial activities, such as chemical production using Hg catalysts, wood impregnation, precious metals recovery, oil and gas production, and the manufacture and/or recycling of batteries, thermometers and electrical switches.
The NICOLE Mercury Working Group has had four major objectives since its creation in 2011:
- Platform for information exchange between practitioners and problem owners on technical topics (characterization, risk assessment, risk mitigation technologies, waste management…)
- Monitor international research and technical initiatives on mercury contaminated sites and participate if judged opportune
- Promote and advocate a risk-based approach to the management of Hg-impacted sites
- Monitor legislative evolution and implementation
The Working Group was chaired by Roger Jaquet (Solvay, Belgium) and Oliver Phipps (ERM).