A selenium ampoule stops diffusion of Hg
through ceramic refractory lining and neutralizes Hg0 in incinerators.
Mr. Magnus von Platen, the inventor of the QuickSafeÒ method,
Sweden, wishes to share with you some very interesting facts
that we have come across during our selenium tests aiming at
reducing elemental mercury in various crematories in Sweden.
The environmental authorities in Sweden are forcing crematories
to find solutions to reduce Hg in the fumes of the cremated, due
to the fact that the Swedes have a lot of amalgam in their teeth
and the rate of cremation is very high in Sweden.
We have devoted all our efforts to find a solution with selenium,
which binds mercury chemically and forms mercury selenide
(HgSe). We have learnt from test results from incinerators not
using selenium that there is a difference between Hg INPUT and
Hg OUTPUT of 30-60 % and we reckon it is due to diffusion.
The most extensive Hg test in a crematory in Europe was made
in Zürich in Switzerland. The teeth were X-rayed in order to
state the amounts of amalgam.
Result: The correlation between INPUT and OUTPUT was 0.93
irrespective of age. However, the Hg input was on an average
1.8 times higher than the Hg output for the deceased people.
This crematory is quite a normal one without any kind of filter
or other type of mercury trap.
What actually happened to the Hg? Where did it disappear?
Is this diffusion? We also studied various test results from
crematories using a filter equipment intended to stop mercury,
e.g. Råcksta in Stockholm, Sweden.
Here 38.1 % of the Hg disappeared before the filter which
actually only filtered away 61.5%. The testing company also
admitted that a RELATIVELY LARGE PART OF THE Hg IS
“DEPOSITED” IN THE AFTERBURNER/COOLER STAGE.
However, they have not considered the amount of Hg diffusing
already in the incinerator, as their first measuring point was
located after the incinerator. They estimate to catch 100 % of
the Hg, not knowing what amount of Hg the deceased has in his
teeth.
We have also seen the same results, about 38 % of the Hg
disappearing before the filter, from the incinerator of Örebro,
Sweden, having a different type of filter equipment.
In Sweden authorities and testing companies say, that it is very
difficult to measure Hg. As we see it, it must be the diffusion,
which plays an important role in tricking the testing companies.
It was not until we received a fax from the Swedish Ceramic
Institute, confirming that Hg vapour easily can penetrate and
diffuse through the type of ceramic lining with a porosity over
10 % that is used in incinerators.
These incinerators generally have a porosity as follows:
Cast bottom plate about 13 - 14 %
Fire brick about 18 - 20 %
Insulating brick about 40 - 50 %
This porosity is open and it is thus easy for gases and vapours
to diffuse through such a material. This information opened the
eyes of our authorities and they are now very interested in our
research.
We found out that the VAPOUR PRESSURE for Hg was about
1.000 times higher than for HgSe. We thus believe that by
reducing the vapour pressure of Hg it will cease to diffuse.
We also found that SELENIUM impregnates the incinerators
and leaves a red glazing layer on the ceramic lining. We believe
that this glazing layer of Se will also help to stop the diffusion.
The crematory of Trelleborg in Sweden has used the selenium
ampoule since 1991 and the incinerator is well impregnated
with Se.
During one experiment we added step by step 10 g of amalgam
and no Se in order to find out if the incinerator was well
impregnated. We found that the impregnation worked very well,
and that the good effect of the Se only slowly disappeared when
more was added.
This shows what we believe is happening when you stop
impregnating the incinerator with Se and instead start adding
only Hg:
Less of the Hg is transformed into HgSe
More and more of the Hg is diffusing
More of the Hg is going out as Hg0.
In 1991 a test was carried out at the crematory of Limhamn,
Sweden, where they cremated coffins with wood chips instead
of using natural cremations.
See results below.
Cremations Nos. 9 -12 were made with addition of 10 g of
amalgam on each coffin.
Crem. no. 9 Recovery of Hg total only 4,6 %
Hg0 91 % and Hg aqua 5 %.
Crem. no. 10 Recovery of Hg total 52,5 %
Hg0 82 % and Hg aqua 18 %.
Crem. no. 11 Recovery of Hg total 36 %
Hg0 69 % Hg aqua 31 %.
Crem. no. 12 Recovery of Hg total 51 %
Hg0 76 % and Hg aqua 23 %
Cremations Nos. 21 - 24 were made with addition of
10 g of amalgam and one selenium ampoule.
Crem. no. 21 Recovery of Hg total 42,7 %
Hg0 76 % and Hg aqua 24 %
Crem. no. 22 Recovery of Hg total 59,2 %
Hg0 20% and Hg aqua 80 %
Crem. no. 23 Recovery of Hg total 68 %
Hg0 45 % and Hg aqua 55 %
Crem. no. 24 Recovery of Hg total 71 %
Hg0 51 % and Hg aqua 49 %
The HgSe is usually found in Hg aqua.
It is interesting to see how the recovery of Hg total increases the
more selenium you add. Thus the diffusion will finally stop when
the incinerator is well impregnated.
Without Se, you find that Hg0 is high (69 - 91 %).
With Se, you find that Hg0 is much lower (20 - 76 %)
and that the 76 % one is the first of the four cremations.
Thus, the more you impregnate the less Hg0 you will find.
Compare the test just described with the latest test at the
crematory of Trelleborg, where they found 99 % of the Hg
total going into the incinerator. Trelleborg obviously has a
well impregnated incinerator.
The testing company remarked in the report from the Limhamn
test:
”It cannot be true that by adding Se, you actually increase the
amount of Hg Total. There must be another explanation.”
Not until 7 years later are we able to explain, that there is a
high probability of Se actually stopping the diffusion of Hg and
at the same time transforming part of the Hg0 to HgSe.
It should then be possible for a filter equipment to collect all Hg
going into the incinerator.
This must be interesting news to everybody working around an
incinerator, not only to learn that Hg is diffusing, but also to
learn that there is a remedy called the QuickSafeÒ method.
The QuickSafeÒ method for incinerators.
One Selenium ampoule on each coffin in order to:
1. Stop diffusion of Hg
2. Transform a large part of the Hg0 to HgSe.
MERCURY is trapped in MERCURY SELENIDE and made innocuous.
We now only wish to let you know that the QuickSafeÒ
method is patented and that the ampoule is distributed
by Emcoplate AB, Luping. 8 SE-233 38 Svedala – Sweden.
E-mail: von.p@telia.com