Background and Objectives
Background and objectives of the project
- General background
- The chlorine industry
- Export ban of metallic mercury: Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008
- Objectives of the project
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General backgroundMercury is the only metallic chemical element being liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. Mercury is seen as a global persistent pollutant; once entering in the environment it cannot be broken down to any harmless form. After intensive use of mercury over the last years mercury can be found in almost all environmental compartments, like the atmosphere, soil or water systems all over the world. In particular in its gaseous form mercury has been disseminated via the atmospheric. Due to its bio-accumulating properties mercury can also end up in the food chain. The major sources of the anthropogenic mercury emissions are fossil fuel combustion for power and heating (878 tonnes), artisanal and small-scale gold production (350 tonnes), metal production (ferrous and non-ferrous, excl. gold) (200 tonnes), cement production (189 tonnes), waste incineration, waste and others (125 tonnes) (source: UNEP 2007). Due to its high toxicity to humans, ecosystems and wildlife, especially by chemical conversion as methyl mercury, there is now a world-wide common effort to reduce both demand and supply of mercury. |
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The chlorine industryIn Europe the most important industry related to the use of mercury is the chlorine industry. In the so called mercury cell process mercury is essential for the production process of chlorine (→ http://www.eurochlor.org/makingchlorine). The European chlorine industry committed itself to voluntarily phase out the mercury based chlorine plants or convert to non-mercury technologies (e.g. membrane technology) by 2020. As a consequence hugh amounts of mercury will be available from the decommissioned plants. Currently the European chlorine industry - represented by Euro Chlor, the European association of the chlor-alkali industry - has an agreement with the state-owned Miñas de Almadén of Spain which constitutes that Miñas de Almadén receives all excess mercury from western European chlorine producers and put it on the market instead of virgin mercury. As a consequence Almadén has ceased mercury mining since 2003. In December 2008 Euro Chlor announced a voluntary agreement to ensure the safe storage of surplus mercury from the European chlor-alkali industry, once a ban on mercury exports from the European Union takes effect in 2011 (see section below). This voluntary commitment was formally acknowledged by an EC Recommendation on 22 December 2008 (C(2008) 8422). |
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Export ban of metallic mercury: Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008The ongoing substitution process of mercury in products and in particular the decommissioning of mercury cell plants has lead to the situation that increasing amounts of mercury are available on the market without a corresponding new purpose of use. Although in the 27 EU Member States the demand for mercury in 2007 was estimated to be still more than 320 tonnes (e.g. for energy saving lamps), it is continuously declining. Therefore efforts have to be done to phase out surplus mercury; withdraw it from circulation and find solutions for a permanent isolated and safe final storage.
On 22.10.2008 the Council and European Parliament adopted the Regulation on the banning of exports and the safe storage of metallic mercury (Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008, OJ L304 of 14/11/08, p.75). The export ban starts from 15 March 2011 and effects metallic mercury, cinnabar ore, mercury (I) chloride, mercury (II) chloride and mixtures of metallic mercury with other substances including alloys of mercury, with a concentration of at least 95 wt % Hg. Furthermore the Regulation lays down that from 15 March 2011 metallic mercury from the following sources should be considered as waste (Article 2, Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008):
In order to provide for possibilities of a safe storage of the above mentioned metallic mercury waste within the Community, Article 3 of the regulation (EC) No 1102/2008 constitutes suitable options both for permanent and temporary storage in appropriate containments:
Furthermore Article 4 of the regulation (EC) No 1102/2008 stipulates that the safety assessment which is required for a safe underground storage under Decision 2003/33/EC should be complemented by specific requirements resulting from the specific risk of the storage of metallic mercury. In addition acceptance criteria should be developed for metallic mercury either temporarily or permanently stored in appropriate underground or above-ground facilities.
Against this background the Commission is requested, in order to ensure the proper application and enforcement of the Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008, to propose requirements for three specific types of storage facilities as well as acceptance criteria for metallic mercury going to such a facility, amending the annexes I, II and III of Directive 1999/31/EC until 1 January 2010. |
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Objectives of the projectThe overall objective of the study is to provide the Commission with a solid knowledge base for fulfilling the tasks resulting from Article 4 (3) of the Regulation (EC) N° 1102/2008. The Regulation requires that for the storage options as defined in Article 3(1)(a) and (b) requirements for the different types of storage facilities as well as acceptance criteria for metallic mercury going to such facilities are established by amending the annexes I, II and III of Directive 1999/31/EC until 1 January 2010.
The study will provide:
Based on the outcome of the overview
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