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Options Analysis and Feasibility Study for the Safe Storage of Mercury in Latin America and the Caribbean

Desiree Montecillo NarvaezProgramme Officer, Mercury and other Metals ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Highlights of LAC mercury storage project options analysis study and its relevance to the project

Inception Workshop, Montevideo, 28-29 June 2011

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• Scope and Purpose

• Methodology

• Results

• Conclusion and Recommendations

• Highlights of LAC Mercury Storage Project Execom Meeting, Santiago, October 2010

Presentation Outline

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Scope and Purpose

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Scope

• 2005: UNEP Governing Council Decision 23/9– Development of partnerships

• 2007: UNEP Governing Council Decision 24/3– 7 priority areas for action to reduce the risks from

releases of mercury

• « Mercury Storage Project »

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Purpose

• Produced by the Laboratorio Tecnológico de Uruguay in October 2010

• Objectives: – to give an overview on the current state of affairs of the

mercury issue

– to articulate recommendations for the countries in the LAC region concerning the safe management and storage of mercury

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Purpose

• 3 different options– Above-ground storage facilities – Underground storage facilities – Export to foreign facilities

• Various criteria used: technological, environmental, public health and safety, financial, socio-political, human resources, legal, and regulatory

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Methodology

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Methodology

• Technical review on the LAC legislation, technologies, state-of-the-art treatment and storage, mercury surplus estimated to be produced in the region

• Sequence of actions to be adopted for the storage of mercury

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Results

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Results

• Legal framework

– Legislation and regulatory measures to reduce mercury supply both nationally and regionally

• EU mercury export ban 2011

• US mercury export ban 2013

• export bans in Sweden and Denmark

– Diversity of progress in LAC

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Results

• Mercury trade flows (exports and imports)

– Report « Excess Mercury Supply in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2010-2050»

– For many LAC countries, import > export

– 2010-2050: excess of mercury → permanent storage needed for 8,300 tons

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Results

• Facilities for the sequestration of mercury

– Elemental mercury management: packaging; transport; acceptance and overpacking

– Stabilization and immobilization, solidification and other appropriate technologies for metallic mercury

– Options for mercury storage and disposal

• Above-ground specially engineered warehouses• Below-ground storage in geological formation• Export option for mercury waste storage

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Results

• Technological options for mercury-containing wastes and end-of-life product management

Wastes or mercury contaning product Packing and transport interim storage transportation pre-treatment Roasting Purification Packing Storage

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Conclusion and Recommendations

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Conclusions

• LAC region– Characterised more as an importer than an exporter– But this may change in the future

• Improvement of legislation to control mercury use

• 3 options– Underground facilities, an unlikely solution in the short

term– Above-ground engineered warehouses, the most

suitable and feasible solution in the long term– The option to export, a short term solution for countries

with small mercury surplus

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Recommendations

• Legislation– Harmonize the trade of elemental mercury, mercury-

containing products in the region– Harmonize the regional legislation for mercury limits and

air monitoring– Negotiate a gradual elimination of mercury in processes

• Transboundary movements– Adequacy of the nomenclature– Opening of position 2852.00– Disclosure of importers and exporters– Disclosure of the information– Traceability

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Recommendations

• Mercury final disposal– To implement an integrated program– To improve a custody chain of mercury– To initiate and promote pre-feasibility studies– To improve technical standards for the management of

mercury waste and mercury-added products in their end of life

– To improve institutional capacity and networks to implement appropriate mercury management until its sequestration

Need for temporary storage facilities such as warehouses or TSD facilities

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LAC Storage Execom Project, Santiago, October 2010

-Presentation of major sources of potential excess supply in the LAC: byproduct from non ferrous mining and smelting, closed chlor alkali plants, end of life mercury products

-Storage is key strategy to reduce availability of mercury for ASGM

-Underground option: unfavorable for the LAC due to high seismicity and susceptibility to tropical storms ; Mexico has geological possibilities but no facilities and needs social acceptance; possible in abandoned mines but requires more detailed studies; operational costs too high- about 360,000 to 700,000 USD/year

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LAC Storage Execom Project, Santiago, October 2010

-Above ground: could be short term or long term; site selection possible but construction of new facility may be costly: potential use of existing TSD facilities as temporary facilities/small transfer stations

-Private sector (Mining and chlor alkali companies) willing to manage their byproduct elemental mercury as part of extended producers responsibility (EPR)

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Recommendations from the Santiago project execom meeting:

-Inventory of existing TSD facilities/ recycling facilities to serve as temporary storage or transfer station before storage

-Inventory of other major sources of potential excess mercury: gold mining, zinc smelters, oil and gas operations

-Assessment of related legal infrastructure and regulatory measures such as legislation on hazardous substances, waste, trade, products phase-out, etc

-More information on products trade especially country imports

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Recommendations from the Santiago project execom meeting

-Work on mercury products: prioritize products w higher elemental Hg content

-Possible financing mechanism for storage: role of private sector as part of EPR; mining sector and chlor alkali sector to submit financing costs to supply/storage partnership

-Consider export option in the upcoming treaty

-Need for political support , go beyond the technical aspects of the storage issues

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UNEP Chemicals

Desiree Montecillo NarvaezProgramme OfficerMercury and other Metals Programme

desiree.narvaez@unep.org+41-22-917-8865

More information at:

http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/tabid/434/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Thank you