Assessment of atmospheric mercury emissions in Finland

This paper is part of the study of atmospheric emissions of heavy metals co nducted by the Finnish Environment Institute in collaboration with the Tech nical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) under the umbrella of the Finnish Mi nistry of the Environment. The scope of our study is limited solely to anth ropogenic mercury that is emitted directly to the atmosphere. This article addresses emission factors and trends of atmospheric mercury emissions duri ng the 1990s and is based mainly on the database of the Finnish Environment al Administration. In addition, data based on the measurements taken by the VTT regarding emission factors have been used to estimate emissions of mer cury from the incineration of waste. The study indicates that the total emi ssion of mercury has decreased from 1140 kg in 1990 to 620 kg in 1997, whil e industrial and energy production have been on the increase simultaneously . The 45% emission reduction is due to improved gas cleaning equipment, pro cess changes, automation, the installation of flue gas desulfurization proc ess in coal-fired power plants and strict pollution control laws. In the pa st, some authors have estimated a higher mercury emission in Finland. In th is study, it is also observed that there are no big changes in the quality of raw materials. Estimated emission factors can be of great help to manage ment for estimating mercury emissions and also its risk assessment. (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.