Abstract
The world problem regarding the environmental pollution due to human activities where mercury is used increases the contamination generated by the dental amalgam scraps when they are inadequately disposed. Although Colombia has clear regulations regarding this issue, the problem subsists when oral health service institutions discard down the drainpipe, incinerate or bury the amalgam scraps that they produce as a disposal method. This occurs because the regulations are unknown or because, many times, they are partially or incorrectly applied. As a solution to this situation, the Universidad de Antioquia through the research groups: Science and Biomedical Technology, Precious Materials and Pyrometallurgical and Material Researches, and the dental supplies manufacturing and marketing company New Stetic S.A., developed and implemented a eco-efficient recovery process for amalgam wastes in order to prevent any incorrect disposal that negatively impacts the environment, and to take advantage of the recovered metals by returning them to the production line. The process stages include the pyrometallurgical mercury recovery (at high temperatures) using a hermetical distiller called Retorta, and the hydrometallurgical recovery (selective recovery in watery media) of the rest of the constituent metals. The latter permits the obtainment, in an eco-efficient and self-sustainable manner, of each metal which can be taken through a refining process to be reused.
Highlights
El mercurio está presente por doquier en el medio ambiente debido a que es arrojado en erupciones volcánicas, se evapora de los cuerpos de agua y asciende en forma de gas desde la corteza terrestre
used increases the contamination generated by the dental amalgam scraps
when oral health service institutions discard down the drainpipe
Summary
TECNOLOGÍA LIMPIA APLICADA AL TRATAMIENTO Y APROVECHAMIENTO DE RESIDUOS DE AMALGAMA DENTAL. Ii Ingeniera Química, Investigación y Desarrollo New Stetic S.A. A la problemática mundial sobre la contaminación del medio ambiente por las actividades humanas donde se utiliza el mercurio, se suma la contaminación generada por los residuos de amalgama dental cuando estos se disponen de manera inadecuada. Como solución a esta problemática, la Universidad de Antioquia, a través de los grupos de investigación Ciencia y Tecnología Biomédica (CTB), Materiales Preciosos (MAPRE) y de Investigaciones Pirometalúrgicas y de Materiales (GIPIMME), y la empresa productora y comercializadora de insumos odontológicos New Stetic S.A., diseñaron e implementaron un proceso eco-eficiente de tratamiento de residuos de amalgama, con los objetivos de, primero, evitar una disposición inadecuada que impacte negativamente el medio ambiente y, segundo, aprovechar los metales recuperados por medio de su reintegro a la cadena productiva. De manera eco-eficiente y autosostenible, cada metal que a su vez pueden pasar a un proceso de refinación para darle valor agregado y ser reutilizado
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