Use of adsorption process to remove organic mercury thimerosal from industrial process wastewater

Carbon adsorption process is tested for removal of high concentration of organic mercury (thimerosal) from industrial process wastewater, in batch and continuously flow through column systems. The organic mercury concentration in the process wastewater is about 1123 mg/L due to the thimerosal compound. Four commercially available adsorbents are tested for mercury removal and they are: Calgon F-400 granular activated carbon (GAC), CB II GAC, Mersorb GAC and an ion-exchange resin Amberlite GT73. The adsorption capacity of each adsorbent is described by the Freundlich isotherm model at pH 3.0, 9.5 and 11.0 in batch isotherm experiments. Acidic pH was favorable for thimerosal adsorption onto the GACs. Columns-in-series experiments are conducted with 30-180 min empty bed contact times (EBCTs). Mercury breakthrough of 30 mg/L occurred after about 47 h (96 Bed Volume Fed (BVF)) of operation, and 97 h (197 BVF) with 120 min EBCT and 180 min EBCT, respectively. Most of the mercury removal is attributed to the 1st adsorbent column. Increase in contact time by additional adsorbent columns did not lower the effluent mercury concentration below 30 mg/L. However, at a lower influent wastewater pH 3, the mercury effluent concentration decreased to less than 7 mg/L for up to 90 h of column operation (183 BVF).