Gaseous methyl- and inorganic mercury in landfill gas from landfills in Florida, Minnesota, Delaware, and California

Lindbeŕg, Steven E.; Southworth, G.R.; Prestbo, Eric M.; Wallschläger, Dirk; Bogle, Mary Anna; Price, J. L.

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.09.060

Cited by 62 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…21 Our new measurements from 1999 to 2002 at six operating landfills in north, central, and south Florida (and new sites in the west, midwest, and northeast) will be reported in detail elsewhere. 5 These data support our earlier observations that LFG contains appreciable concentrations of TGM, and that methylated compounds are significantly enriched in these gases 3 (tens of ng/m 3 ).…”

Section: Summary Of Recent Measurements Of Total Hgsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…We found consistently lower concentrations of TGM at closed versus operating landfills, with one closed site exhibiting TGM as low as tens of ng/m 3 , emphasizing the need for more such measurements. Preliminary estimates of emissions of TGM from LFG vents yield an average atmospheric release in LFG of ϳ0.3 g Hg per day for these sites, 5 well above the maximum of ϳ0.05 g/day we estimated earlier for Florida landfills. 2 …”

Section: Summary Of Recent Measurements Of Total Hgmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Measurements of methylated Hg species using carbotraps and water-filled scrubbers will be reported elsewhere. 5 Samples of LFG were collected at flow rates of ϳ400 mL/min from active gas collection systems with flares at each landfill site. All traps were either heated slightly above LFG temperatures (ϳ45-55°C) to eliminate condensation or the LFG was passed through a chilled chamber to eliminate condensation on the traps.…”

Section: Hg In Lfgmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The latter three objectives are reported in companion papers. 4,5 This paper reports more extensive data on WF and LFG emissions collected during sampling campaigns in 1998 -2001. Based on these new data, we present revised estimates of statewide landfill emissions for Florida.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Airborne Emissions of Mercury from Municipal Solid Waste. I: New Measurements from Six Operating Landfills in Florida

Lindberg

Southworth

Bogle

et al. 2005

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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Mercury-bearing material enters municipal landfills from a wide array of sources, including fluorescent lights, batteries, electrical switches, thermometers, and general waste; however, the fate of mercury (Hg) in landfills has not been widely studied. Using automated flux chambers and downwind atmospheric sampling, we quantified the primary pathways of Hg vapor releases to the atmosphere at six municipal landfill operations in Florida. These pathways included landfill gas (LFG) releases from active vent systems, passive emissions from landfill surface covers, and emissions from daily activities at each working face (WF). We spiked the WF at two sites with known Hg sources; these were readily detected downwind, and were used to test our emission modeling approaches. Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) was released to the atmosphere at readily detectable rates from all sources measured; rates ranged from ϳ1-10 ng m Ϫ2 hr Ϫ1 over aged landfill cover, from ϳ8 -20 mg/hr from LFG flares (LFG included Hg 0 at g/m 3 concentrations), and from ϳ200 -400 mg/hr at the WF. These fluxes exceed our earlier published estimates. Attempts to identify specific Hg sources in excavated and sorted waste indicated few readily identifiable sources; because of effective mixing and diffusion of Hg 0 , the entire waste mass acts as a source. We estimate that atmospheric Hg releases from municipal landfill operations in the state of Florida are on the order of 10 -50 kg/yr, substantially larger than our original estimates, but still a small fraction of current overall anthropogenic losses. INTRODUCTIONThe Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is quantifying the sources of mercury (Hg) within the state and its cycling between the atmosphere and aquatic ecosystems, especially the Everglades. While municipal incinerators are known to be important atmospheric sources, municipal landfills have not been widely studied. Hg occurs in important quantities in municipal waste; before 1994, Hg concentrations in waste were estimated to be ϳ4 mg/kg, with Ͼ80% originating from alkaline batteries. 1 Although Hg in waste is decreasing, those early wastes are, of course, still in landfills. The new five-year Research Strategy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) places emphasis on noncombustion sources of Hg emissions to the environment, including landfill activities. In cooperation with the Florida DEP we quantified the primary sources of atmospheric Hg releases at two municipal landfills in south Florida in April 1997. 2 These pathways included landfill gas (LFG) releases from passive

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Section: Summary Of Recent Measurements Of Total Hgsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Summary Of Recent Measurements Of Total Hgmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hg In Lfgmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Airborne Emissions of Mercury from Municipal Solid Waste. I: New Measurements from Six Operating Landfills in Florida

Lindberg

Southworth

Bogle

et al. 2005

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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“…Whilst the larger population in EI would be expected to produce greater Hg emissions to air from cremations, it appears that a more important influencing factor for this environmental compartment is the higher amount of land-filled waste produced by the increased consumer related activities in NC compared to EI . Hg emissions from landfill are associated with the production and subsequent release of methyl mercury in landfill gases (Lindberg et al, 2005).…”

Section: Analysis Of Hg Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of pollutant emission control strategies for cadmium and mercury in urban water systems using substance flow analysis

Revitt

Lundy

Eriksson

et al. 2013

Journal of Environmental Management

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The European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires Member States to protect inland surface and groundwater bodies but does not directly stipulate how the associated environmental quality standards should be achieved. This paper develops and assesses the performance of a series of urban emission control strategies (ECS) with an emphasis on the scientific and technological benefits which can be achieved. Data from the literature, in combination with expert judgement, have been used to develop two different semi-hypothetical case cities (SHCC), which represent virtual platforms for the evaluation of ECS using substance flow analysis (SFA). The results indicate that the full implementation of existing EU legislation is capable of reducing the total emissions of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) by between 11% and 20%. The ability to apply voluntary reduction practices is shown to be particularly effective for Cd with the potential to further lower the overall emissions by between 16% and 27%. The most efficient protection of the receiving surface water environment is strongly influenced by the city characteristics with the introduction of stormwater treatment practices being particularly effective for one city (59% reduction of Hg; 39% reduction of Cd) and the other city being most influenced by the presence of efficient advanced wastewater treatment processes (63% reduction of Hg; 43% reduction of Cd). These reductions in receiving water loads are necessarily accompanied by either increases in stormwater sediment loadings (2.6 to 14.9 kg/year or 0.6 to 2.4 kg/year for Hg) or wastewater sludge loadings (45.8 to 57.2 kg/year or 42.0 to 57.4 kg/year for Cd).

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Atmospheric Chemistry of Mercury

Lin

Singhasuk

Pehkonen³

2011

Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology of Mercury

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Gaseous methyl- and inorganic mercury in landfill gas from landfills in Florida, Minnesota, Delaware, and California

Cited by 62 publications

References 16 publications

Airborne Emissions of Mercury from Municipal Solid Waste. I: New Measurements from Six Operating Landfills in Florida

Airborne Emissions of Mercury from Municipal Solid Waste. I: New Measurements from Six Operating Landfills in Florida

Comparison of pollutant emission control strategies for cadmium and mercury in urban water systems using substance flow analysis

Atmospheric Chemistry of Mercury

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