Device for the recovery of mercury

This process enables the recovery of mercury from waste containing plastic material, e.g. batteries. The waste is slowly heated while an inert gas is being introduced in a vacuum for fractionating extraction of the products of the decomposition of the plastic. The waste gases must pass through an afterburner chamber incorporating a specially shaped burner where the plastic vapors are fully combusted. The waste gases are conducted from the afterburner chamber through a cooling trap and then through a cold trap in which the mercury is condensed and can be drained off. The final stage of the process is carried out in a pulsating vacuum by the inert gas. The device in which the process takes place consists of a heated heat isolated treatment chamber (2), an afterburner chamber (6), a cooling trap (7), a cold trap (18) and a vacuum pump (23, 24) connected with pipelines (5, 12, 21). The system also includes a control unit (14) for regulating the operation of the vacuum pump (23, 24) and the settings of a shut-off valve (16) and a regulation valve (15) for the inert gas. The plastic vapors are combusted in the afterburner chamber (6) by being heated in a flame basket produced with the aid of a concave flame cup (36) made of heat-resistant material.