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STABILIZATION AND TESTING OF MERCURY CONTAINING WASTES: BORDEN SLUDGE
Citation:
Bishop, P., R. A. Rauche, L. A. Rieser, M. T. Suidan, AND J. Zhang. STABILIZATION AND TESTING OF MERCURY CONTAINING WASTES: BORDEN SLUDGE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-02/020, 2002.
Description:
This report details the stability assessment of a mercury containing sulfide treatment sludge. Information contained in this report will consist of background data submitted by the generator, landfill data supplied by EPA and characterization and leaching studies conducted by UC and contract laboratories.
Borden Chemicals and Plastics (BCP) provided background data for the time period June 1997 through November 1998. Included in the data summary are total mercury, reactive sulfide, Toxicity Characterization Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and pH information relating to their sulfide treated sludge.
BCP's sulfide sludge is currently being disposed in a subtitle C landfill located in Carlyss, Louisiana. Data on the leachate from the landfill was provided by EPA - OSW.
Samples obtained by UC and EPA personnel at the BCP plant on November 19, 1998 were characterized by UC and two contract laboratories for thermogravimetric analysis, total mercury content, pH, acidity and cation exchange capacity, etc. Leaching tests and analytical work performed by UC and their contract laboratories included the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), solid stability in water, leaching at constant pH values, and acidity.
Preliminary point estimates of measured mercury concentrations in the generated leachates indicate that the mercuric sulfide complex is very strong in low pH environments; however, higher pH conditions may result in mercury mobilization to the aqueous phase.
This report was submitted by the University of Cincinnati (UC) in fulfillment of Contract No. 68-C7-0057 under the sponsorship of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This report covers a period from October 1998 through March 1999; laboratory work was completed as of March 1999.