Process for mercury recovery from mercury-containing scrubbing waters of incineration plants

The flue gas scrubbing water of incineration plants, in addition to other pollutants, also contains mercury salts. Up until now, this scrubbing water has been freed from mercury by chemical precipitation or by ion exchangers. In a simpler and cheaper process, which at the same time can be easily integrated into the flue gas purification of an incineration plant, the mercury is continuously reduced by reducing agents in the scrubbing water stream and expelled from the scrubbing water stream by a carrier gas stream recycled in closed circulation, from which carrier gas stream it can be isolated in a cooled separator.