Mercury Storage Project in Asia and the Pacific

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

Demand and Supply Equilibrium

•demand •supply

•Demand- Supply Balance

•CEE: 2011

•LAC: 2015

•Asia: 2027

Sources of Mercury Supply 2005

Sources of mercury supply (2005)

Mercury supply(metric tonnes)

Primary mercury mining

1350-1600

By-product mercury 450-600

Recycled mercury from chlor-alkali wastesa)

90-140

Recycled mercury - otherb)

450-520

Mercury from chlor-alkali cells (decommissioning)c)

600-800

Stocksd) 0-200

Total 3000-3800

Source: Maxson, Peter

Mercury Demand/Consumption 2007

Application Metric TonnesSmall-scale/artisanal gold mining 650-1,350

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production 800-1,000

Chlor-alkali production 400-500

Batteries 200-400

Dental use 250-350

Measuring devices 250-350

Lighting 110-140

Switches and relays 100-200

Other (PU elastomers, paints, testing and laboratory, pharmaceutical, cultural uses)

200-400

Total 3,000-4,700 •Source: Maxson, Peter

Estimated Surplus Mercury by Region for 40 years

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•Su

rplu

s m

erc

ury

[t]

•National/ regional mercury supply

What is Surplus Mercury?

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•Need to manage surplus

mercury

storage disposal

•National / regional

demand for products & proceses

•National/ regional surplus

Elemental Hg &

Hg compounds like calomel

Important Sources of Surplus mercury

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•Export

•Non –ferrous metal production (zinc, gold)

•Decommis-sioning of mercury cells (chlor alkali)

•End of life products

•Contaminated sites

•Oil & gas industry

•Elemental

mercury

•Mercury compounds

•Mercury contaminated material

•Mercury added products

•Primary waste type

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How Much Surplus Mercury Will Have to be Managed in South/ South East and East Asia? (Concorde 2009)

•Main assumptions:

•VCM production: decrease of consumption after 2015

•Zinc smelting: strong increase of Hg recovery between now an 2030

•Alternative scenario: 7,500 t 2027-50 (reduced supply for ASM)

•Regional surplus5,500 t (2029-50)

•Possibly national surpluses

•?•?

Management options for surplus mercury?

AIT/RRCAP study (2010)

Governments agreed to:

NEGOTIATIONS - Elaborate a legally binding instrument on mercury, which could include both binding and voluntary approaches

in parallel with

INTERIM ACTIVITIES - Accelerated voluntary action on mercury with the Global Mercury Partnership as one of the key delivery vehicles

•UNEP GC decision 25/5 Para 25

(a)Objectives;(b)(b) Reduction of supply and enhance

capacity for sound storage;

(c) Reduction of demand;(d) Reduction of international trade;(e) Reduction of atmospheric emissions;(f) Waste and remediation of contaminated sites;(g) Increasing knowledge;(h) Capacity-building and technical and financial

assistance;(i) Compliance.

•Para 27 – Instrument to include provisions on:

Para 34 – Existing work

UNEP to continue and enhance, as part of international action on mercury, existing work in the following areas:

(a)Enhancing capacity for mercury storage;(b)Reducing supply of mercury from, f.ex. primary mercury

mining; (c)Conducting awareness‑raising and pilot projects in key

countries to reduce mercury use in artisanal and small‑scale gold mining;

(d)Reducing mercury use in products and processes and raising awareness of mercury‑free alternatives;

(e)Providing information on BAT and BEP and on conversion of mercury-based processes to non-mercury based processes;

(f) Enhancing development of national inventories on mercury;

(g)Raising public awareness and supporting risk communication;

(h)Providing information on sound management of mercury.

INC 2, Chiba, Japan, 24-28 Jan 2011

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•Affirmed the importance and noted that the issue of mercury storage is inherently related to issues of supply and demand

•Delegates said that interim storage projects should be undertaken in the short term

While long term plans and policies are being developed

Asia Mercury Storage Project

•Objective: prevent reentry of mercury as a commodity to the global market and find environmentally sound storage solutions for excess elemental mercury

•Activities and Output:

•Inception workshop: 14-15 March 2009, Bangkok

Assessment Report of Excess Mercury Supply in Asia

Options for the safe long term storage- above ground, below ground, export to foreign country

Creation of the project executive committee (India, Japan, Nepal, PNG,,ZMWG (Ban Toxics) Pakistan, Indonesia, Phil)

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AIT/RRCAP Options Study for Asia and the Pacific: FindingsConsidered Option Recommendati

on

Aboveground warehouse storage of elemental mercury

Preferred option – in desert area

Underground storage of elemental mercury

Not considered implementable due to lack of salt deposits and high costs

Export to another region Preferred option

Findings of the Asia Pacific study

• Legal framework required to regulate storage obligation, site selection, licensing, operation and liability

• Need for bi- and multilateral agreements to arrange relationships between countries that export and countries that store mercury.

• In Addition: ‘Interim’ storage facilities to be located at the place of still operating Industrial plants

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AIT – Study: Points for Discussion

– Specification of Terms

• “Storage” sensu strictu = temporary measure

• “Disposal” = ultimate decision to dispose of and eliminate waste from the biosphere permanently

– Geological and Climatic Aspects

• Availability of geological formations

• Exclusive prerequisite of dry atmospheric conditions

• Overall concept of underground disposal

– Cost Aspects

• Rough estimation (several tens of millions US-$) vs. designation of single $

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AIT – Study: Points for Discussion (contd.)

– Export

• Not an exhaustive concept

• Temporary or otherwise limited measure applicable under certain conditions

– Glossary

• Definitions for terms which do not play a major role

• Essential terms are partly missing, e.g.

– “storage”,

– “long-term”,

– “disposal”

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The UNEP mercury storage projects: gaps and needs

Other waste disposal issues:• Management of Hg containing tailings not addressed

• Little information on other mercury containing waste types (quantity, types, treatment, disposal)

• Up-to-date description of stabilization, permanent, temporary storage options in Basel Guidelines

• Support development of appropriate legislation on Hg waste management (e.g. regulatory toolkit)

• Guidance for management of stockpiles of Hg commodities and products

• Terminology 18

Mercury waste: disposal

Separate collection of mercury waste• Cambodia: thermometers in hospitals• Indonesia: lamps

• Safely stored in temporary storage facilities, but how long is temporary?

urgent need for treatment/ disposal facilities

Revised Options Analysis of mercury storage in Asia and the

Pacific

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Areas Where the Asia Options Study Could be Improved

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1. Outline of Technical concepts

2. Presence of Geological formations potentially suitable for storage facilities

3. Geo-environmental hazards

4. Country-specific and regional agreements on import/export

5. Information on the economics of hazardous waste management/ cost estimates for underground disposal

6. Potential benefits of stabilization

7. Evaluate feasibility of options based on new findings

Goal of Revised Study

– Identify and fill in the information gaps

– Collect additional information

– Identify technical options

– Provide recommendations for further work towards the long term storage of elemental mercury

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•To catalyze regional action in order to address excess mercury in Asia

•To explore options and other related issues in addressing excess mercury supply in Asia taking into consideration costs and benefits, social and political acceptability, technical and environmental factors, public health, infrastructure, regulatory requirements and site selection

•To communicate project issues and concerns to governments and stakeholders in the Asian region, and to convene meetings as needed to facilitate progress toward an Asian storage solution

•To recommend appropriate legislation/policies consistent with the establishment of a terminal storage facility

Terimah Kasih

UNEP Chemicals

Desiree Montecillo NarvaezProgramme OfficerMercury and other Metals Programme

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

Webpage: www.unep.org

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