The present disclosure discloses a method for converting a
solid hazardous heavy
metal-containing composition into a
solid non-hazardous heavy
metal-containing composition and an aqueous composition essentially free of heavy
metal. The method comprises the steps of a) mixing and dissolving the
solid hazardous heavy metal-containing composition with an acid solution, thereby obtaining an hazardous heavy metal acid composition; b) precipitating the heavy metal from the hazardous heavy metal acid composition by: measuring the pH of the acid composition after a 13-fold
dilution by volume using water, and adjusting the pH of the solid hazardous heavy metal-containing composition to at least 0.9 if the measured pH is below 0.9; and by reacting the hazardous heavy metal acid composition with a heavy metal-
precipitation agent; and c) precipitating the heavy metal from the hazardous heavy metal acid composition by adjusting the pH value of the composition to a value of at least 0.9 if the pH measured in step b) is below 0.9 and by reacting with a heavy metal-
precipitation agent; and d) separating out the heavy metal precipitate from the aqueous supernatant, whereby the solid
inert heavy metal-containing composition comprises the heavy metal precipitate and the aqueous composition essentially free of heavy metal comprises the aqueous supernatant. The heavy metal-
precipitation agent comprises a diorgano-dithiophosphinic acid or the
alkali metal or
ammonia salts thereof represented by Formula (1), Formula (1) wherein R is a linear or branched
hydrocarbon group selected from
alkyl,
aryl, alkylaryl, or aralkyl, and wherein the
hydrocarbon group contains 3 to 20 carbon atoms, and M is H,
alkali metal or
ammonia. The present disclosure further relates to the use of the heavy metal-precipitation agent for converting the solid hazardous heavy metal-containing composition into the solid non-hazardous heavy metal- containing composition and the aqueous composition essentially free of heavy metal.