Serious problems of mercury pollution in energy saving lamp industry in China

Saving energy, protecting the environment and meeting people's requirement of lighting quality is the aim of green lighting. However, with the advent of new types of energy-saving electric light source, the pollution of harmful substances in the process of production and use should also cause our attention.

At present, the situation of the use of hazardous substances in electric light source products in our country is worrying, especially in the more and more popular gas discharge light source products. In order to fully understand the current pollution situation of China lighting industry, to prepare for the development of environmental protection policies and measures related to the national development and Reform Commission /UNDP/GEF Chinese green lighting project office carried out a special investigation and study, and collect the relevant domestic and foreign management methods and experience, put forward many suggestions to strengthen pollution lighting electrical industry control in china.

1 pollution status of electric light source products in China

The main harmful substances in electric light source products include mercury, lead and arsenic, which are harmful to the environment and human health. As the electric light source products and other products, the composition of the elements are different, the content of harmful substances are also different. Mercury containing electric light sources include fluorescent lamps, high pressure mercury lamps, neon lights, etc..

At present, the mercury content of T12 fluorescent lamp with a branch pipe diameter of 36mm is about 25~45mg in our country, and the mercury content of T5 fluorescent lamp with a diameter of 16mm is about 20mg, and the mercury content of compact fluorescent lamp with a branch diameter of 10mm is about 10mg. China's 2004 production of fluorescent lamps about 1 billion, according to the average amount of mercury per lamp for 30mg calculation, the total production of fluorescent lamps in China in 2004 was about 30t.

However, in the actual production process, the consumption of mercury is far greater than this figure. The main reason is the unreasonable control of mercury injection and the high rate of scrap in the production process. 40W straight tube fluorescent lamp T12, for example, through the automatic production line of mercury injection, the need to inject 20~40mg of mercury, plus the process consumption, the actual consumption of mercury is 60~100mg. At present, in our country a considerable part of the production of electric light source mercury injection liquid mercury is used, so the amount of mercury is difficult to control, coupled with poor equipment, mercury in the mercury injection process is very serious. Therefore, the actual production of each fluorescent lamp in our country, the average amount of mercury consumption is 45.04~48.00mg, with an annual output of 1 billion fluorescent light consumption of mercury in 47~60t. According to the forecast, 2006~2015 years, China's fluorescent lamp production will reach 15~20 billion, if the average consumption amount of mercury products average mercury content and production continues to maintain the current level, then, by the end of 2006, the total annual output of mercury containing fluorescent lamps will reach 45t, the amount of mercury consumed in production will reach about 70t; by 2015, with an annual output of fluorescent lamps containing mercury will total up to 60~90t. This figure is really worrying.

Based on the developed countries to the importance of environmental issues, in the production of fluorescent lamp has banned the use of liquid mercury, while using solid amalgam, metallic mercury packs, or stop the production of fluorescent lamp, the lamp waste made recovery measures strictly, to prevent residual mercury dispersed in air and water.

Mercury containing lighting appliances in use process will not generally be used in the process of pollution, pollution is mainly caused by the rupture after lighting mercury diffusion resulting in air pollution, this doesn't happen often, so in the process of using the environment has a great effect.

In 2004, our country scrapped the mercury containing lighting appliance is equivalent to 40W standard fluorescent lamp about 600 million, due to improper disposal and released into the atmosphere in the amount of mercury is 45~50t. At present, our country has not made effective measures for the recovery of waste lighting electrical appliances, and has not established a recycling system and recycling mechanism in line with the characteristics of scrapped lighting appliances. The mercury in the waste lighting electrical appliance can be diffused into the air at will, which is very harmful to the environment.

In recent years, the rapid development of China's electric light source products, by 2003 China's total output of various types of electric light source has nearly 10 billion, of which the output of gas discharge light source of nearly 2 billion. It can be found that the total amount of mercury in the gas discharge lamp produced in the year of 2003 is about 30t, but in the actual production process, the mercury consumption exceeds 60t. That is to say, the final market for people to use the mercury content in the lamp is only about 30t, while the production of these products at the same time, mercury emissions from more than 2 billion cubic meters, mercury wastewater is more than 1000000t, and because the exhaust sealed tube, mercury lamp broken slag formation of more than 10000t. It is estimated that the total mercury in waste is about 30t. China's electric light source products grew very fast, if not improve the production process and means at present, do not try to use environmentally friendly materials, so the new electric light source products, with the yield increasing, mercury pollution will also become more and more serious.

Electric light source products are generally made of glass, usually use the lead glass, lead glass according to the content of PbO is divided into red light (low lead) glass, lead (lead) in glass and heavy lead glass (Gao Qian) 3. The lead content of low lead glass is about 11%, the lead is about 20%, and the lead is above 28%. Because of the need of glass processing, with incandescent lamp and various fluorescent lamps are used lead glass, usually about 11% of the low lead content in lead glass. But the speed was higher than that in the lead glass 1200 / column using a fluorescent lamp automatic production line is the lead of 20%, or even 28% high