Mercury
What is Mercury ?
Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring metal, but industrial activities have caused significant contamination of soils, sediments and industrial facilities worldwide.
Unlike most metals, mercury is liquid at room temperature and can easily evaporate into toxic vapors. This unique property makes mercury both dangerous and treatable through thermal technologies.
Mercury soil contamination mostly comes from the following activities :
- Chlor-alkali plants
- Mining and metallurgical operations
- Chemical manufacturing
- Military and nuclear facilities
- Industrial waste disposal sites
- Demolition and decommissioning projects
- Historical spills from industrial equipment
Mercury contamination may be present as liquid mercury droplets, inorganic mercury salts or organic mercury compounds.
Why is Mercury a concern?
Mercury is one of the most toxic contaminants encountered in environmental remediation.
Exposure can impact:
🧠 Nervous system
🫁 Respiratory system
🩺 Kidneys and liver
👶 Fetal and child development
Because mercury can volatilize and migrate through the environment, contaminated source zones often require active remediation rather than long-term containment.
Remediation Strategies - State of the Art
Mercury contamination presents unique remediation challenges due to its toxicity, mobility and ability to generate hazardous vapors. Several technologies are available to manage contaminated soils, including disposal, stabilization, soil washing and biological approaches. However, many of these methods transfer or immobilize the contamination rather than removing it.
| Technology | Mercury Removal | Long-Term Liability | Main Limitations |
| Landfilling / Disposal | 🔴 No | 🔴 High | Transfers contamination to another location |
| Stabilization / Solidification | 🔴 No | 🟠 Medium | Mercury remains in the treated material |
| Soil Washing | 🟠 Partial | 🟠 Medium | Generates contaminated liquid streams |
| Phytoremediation | 🟠 Limited | 🟠 Medium | Slow and applicable only to low concentrations |
| Thermal Desorption | 🟢 Yes | 🟢 Low | Requires vapor treatment and process control |
Thermal Desorption with Haemers Technologies
Unlike stabilization technologies, thermal desorption physically removes mercury from the contaminated matrix, reducing long-term environmental liabilities and eliminating dependence on permanent containment systems.
At Haemers Technologies, mercury remediation is based on our proven Smart Burners™ conductive
thermal desorption technology, developed through decades of experience on industrial
mercury-contaminated sites worldwide.
🔥 1. Controlled Heating
Smart Burners™ circulate hot gases through a network of steel heating pipes installed within the
contaminated soil.
The heat is transferred directly into the soil, ensuring homogeneous treatment and precise temperature
control.
🌡️ 2. Mercury Becomes Volatile
As temperature increases, mercury compounds progressively volatilize.
- Elemental mercury is removed first
- Mercury chlorides and organomercury compounds follow
- More stable mercury species are treated through prolonged heating and optimized operating conditions
The combination of temperature and residence time is key to achieving high removal efficiencies.
💨 3. Vapor Extraction Under Vacuum
The treatment area is maintained under controlled negative pressure.
This ensures that mercury vapors are continuously extracted while preventing fugitive emissions and protecting workers and nearby communities.
🧪 4. Advanced Vapor Treatment
Mercury vapors are routed to a dedicated Vapor Treatment Unit (VTU) where they undergo:
✅ Cooling and condensation
✅ Mercury recovery
✅ Activated carbon polishing
✅ Continuous emission monitoring
This multi-stage process ensures safe and compliant operation throughout the remediation project.
Key Benefits
🎯 Permanent Mercury Removal
Mercury is physically extracted from the soil and captured in dedicated treatment systems, rather than simply immobilized or transferred elsewhere.
⚡ Rapid Remediation
High removal efficiencies can be achieved within days or weeks, significantly reducing project timelines compared to long-term containment strategies.
📈 Proven Performance
Thermal desorption has demonstrated mercury removal efficiencies exceeding 99% across laboratory studies, pilot tests and full-scale remediation projects worldwide.
🛡️ Safe and Controlled Operations
Smart Burners™ technology combines conductive heating, vacuum extraction and advanced vapor treatment to ensure full containment of mercury vapors and protection of workers and the environment.
🏭 Designed for Complex Industrial Sites
Effective on contaminated soils, sediments, concrete, demolition debris and industrial residues, even in highly heterogeneous source zones.
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