title: Results from the low level mercury sorbent test at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant in Tennessee.
abstract: A mercury sorbent test was performed near the headwaters of the Upper East Fork Poplar Creek at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant in Tennessee. The sorbents SIR-200 (ResinTech), Keyle:X (SolmeteX), and GT-73 (Rohm and Haas) were the best materials tested for low level mercury removal. Each of these sorbents has a thiol-based active site. None of the tested sorbents reduced the mercury concentration to less than the existing 12 ng/l NPDES limit. For this small scale test, SIR-200, Keyle:X, and GT-73 reduced the mercury concentration to less than 51 ng/l, which is a regulatory treatment goal. The other sorbents tested, including granular activated carbon (Filtrasorb 300), did not reduce the mercury concentration below 51 ng/l at any tested flow up to 5 bed volumes per minute. Because of the cost and large volume of sorbent, a wastewater treatment plant for this stream would be prohibitively expensive to construct and maintain.
authors.affiliation: Acadiana Research Laboratory, University of Southwestern Louisiana, P.O. Box 44210, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA. wahollerman@mindspring.com
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hollerman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ila
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hensley
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Southworth
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klasson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000465:Algorithms; D005374:Filtration; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016062:Porosity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury