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Mercury Balance: Account of the lost Mercury in Kodaikanal

Mercury Balance: Account of the lost Mercury in Kodaikanal. K Gopalakrishnan, Former Staff, HLL. Mercury Thermometer Manufacturing Process. Non-Mercury Operations: Stem Cutting, Bulb Cutting, End opening, End Cutting & Bulb forming Mercury Operations:

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Mercury Balance: Account of the lost Mercury in Kodaikanal

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  1. Mercury Balance: Account of the lost Mercury in Kodaikanal K Gopalakrishnan, Former Staff, HLL

  2. Mercury Thermometer Manufacturing Process Non-Mercury Operations: Stem Cutting, Bulb Cutting, End opening, End Cutting & Bulb forming Mercury Operations: Mercury Filling, Top chambering, Contracting, Laser Cutting, Screening & Baking, Top Cutting, Final Inspection and Packing

  3. Raw Materials used in the manufacture of thermometers 1 Stem Glass 2 Bulb Glass 3 Mercury 4 Printing ink 5 Bead Glass

  4. Mercury Import Vs Use: HLL May 2001 Source: URS May 2001 Report

  5. Mercury Import Vs Use: HLL May 2002 Source: URS Report May 2002

  6. Difference: 2001 Vs 2002 Source: URS Reports May 2001 & May 2002

  7. Major Discrepancies: 2001 Vs 2002 Source: URS Reports May 2001 & May 2002

  8. Consider these Facts From HLL records • Finished T weight in Kodai and MEPZ Inventory : 1462 Kg(As per weighment sheet at the time of export of packing of Hg bearing waste) • No. of finished T in Kodai and MEPZ Inventory: 318750 units(As per invoices with the Customs) • Average weight of T : 1462 kg x 1000 / 318750 units = 4.59 gm

  9. How much Hg is missing? • Weight of Thermometer: 0.721 gm (As per URS 2002 Report) • Rate of Hg in Thermometer: 0.721/4.59 = 15.71 % • Total Hg in waste: 9746(GSS) + 461 (GSO) + 1605 (WIP) + 593 (ETP) = 15405 kg • Total Hg area loss in 18 yrs: 288,985 kg (As per HLL Letter to TNPCB, 2002) • Hg in 289 tons @ 15.71 % = 45402 kg (Contd..)

  10. How much Hg is missing? • Quantity of recovered and reused Hg: 10311 Kg (As per HLL Letter to TNPCB, 2002) • Declared unaccounted Hg (as per URS report in 2002): 2031 Kg • Therefore, the Total unaccounted Hg: 45402 – (15405+10311+2031) = 17655 Kg 17.655 Tons

  11. Cross Check of the estimate • Capacity Production: One Million units/month • Virgin Hg use/month: One Ton (as per TNPCB records) • Hg input per piece: One gm • Hg per Thermometer: 0.721 gm (URS 2002) • Loss of Hg per unit: 1-0.721 = 0.279 gm • Loss of Hg for 165,178,795 units @ 0.279 = 46085 kg = 46 Tons

  12. Another cross check • HLL exported semi-finished Thermometers to USA in April 2003, -- 11,740 kgs • This is Work in Progress (WIP) • As per Hg balance WIP contains 1605 kg of Hg • 1605 kg of mercury on 11740 kg of thermometers is 13.67 per cent

  13. Total Mercury Lost into Environment 17,655 Kg Total Mercury loss into Environment per year: 1023 Kg 3.36 kg loss into Environment per day (305 working days in an year)

  14. Total Mercury loss into Environment per year: 1,023 Kg

  15. 3.36 kg loss into Environment per day(305 working days in an year)

  16. Mercury lost into Environment in 17.25 years is 17.655 Tons ON AN AVERAGE OF ONE TON PER YEAR 3.36Kg per day (305 working days in an year)

  17. HLL, URS report • Hg bearing waste contains 6% Hg, but HLL has recovered 8.5% Hg • Air mercury from 15,145 m3 area as per report • At the rate of 3.4 kg per day, mercury in the air is (3,400,000 mg / 15,145 m3 i.e 224.50 mg/m3 for 24 hours – per hour 9.354mg/m3 (per minute

  18. We need • HLL to produce to TNPCB all documents produced to URS, the consultant for calculation of this Hg balance, for verification

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