Appropriate disposal of fluorescent lamps which contain mercury

Abstract

Economic development in the last century, combined with high indices of consumption, have transformed pollution into one of the major environmental problems. Among the various types of pollutant, greater concern is caused by those that incorporate heavy metals in their composition, among them the fluorescent lamp, which is the second greatest polluting source of mercury. Supermarkets, banks, universities, industries and commerce, are all known to have a very high quantity of fluorescent lights installed and most of them are discarded improperly in sanitary landfills. Their proper disposal has been the theme of studies which seek to obtain methods of decontamination and recovery of components. There is no information on the existence, in the national market, of manufacturers of equipment to fragment fluorescent lamps and recover the mercury. In Brazil, the companies that dispose of these lamps developed their own machines. For this reason, Tramppo Serviços Industriais intends to study the technical viability of the development of a machine displaying technological innovation, which uses vacuum systems combined with high temperature to capture the mercury in a simple, safe and economic manner. For this task, the company is going to request the support of the Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research (Ipen) and the Institute of Technological Research (IPT). (AU)