Cover Story

Newsfront

MERCURY EMISSIONS-
CONTROL PROCESSES
GO COMMERCIAL
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Source: Electric Power
Research Institute

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N
ovember 17 was the deadline
for states to submit their plans
for the control of mercury emis-
sions from power plants to the 'MZ
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA, Washington D.C.; epa.gov), but
mercury-control processes are already
being commercialized. The Institute
of Clean Air Companies (ICAC, Wash-
ington D.C.; icac.com) reports that its
members have booked contracts for
mercury-control equipment for more
than two dozen plants. Most involve
activated-carbon injection to absorb
mercury from fluegas.
“It’s astonishing there are so many
contracts for a market that’s so new,”
says David Foerter, executive director
of ICAC, who notes that many of the
installations are part of a consent de-
cree or voluntary emission-abatement
plan. One engineering firm, ADA-ES,
Inc. (Littleton, Colo.; adaes.com), says
it has nine contracts for mercury
control projects — one online, one in
startup, and seven in various stages of
progress. “Business is very brisk,” says
Sharon Sjostrom, director of technol-
ogy development.
The activity is well in advance of
EPA’s national regulation, which calls
for a reduction in U.S. mercury emis-
sions from an estimated 48 tons in
2003 to 38 tons/yr by 2010 (a drop of
26 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2007
26-30 CHE 1-07.indd 26
FIGURE 1. EPRI's Toxecon process avoids carbon contamination of fly ash by in-
jecting activated carbon downstream of an ESP, or into the latter fields of an ESP
21%), and to 15 tons/yr by 2018, for
a total decrease of 69%. To help utili-
ties meet those goals, the U.S. Dept. of
Energy’s National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL, Pittsburgh, Pa.;
netl.doe.gov) is entering Phase III of
its research, development and demon-
stration (RD&D) program to advance
the performance and economics of
mercury-control technologies.
NETL’s annual budget for the pro-
gram has been around $12–15 million
for the past several years, says Thomas
Feeley III, NETL’s technology manager.
In addition, probably $10 million/yr is
invested by industry and other organi-
zations, adds Ramsay Chang, manager
of air emissions control with the Elec-
tric Power Research Institute (EPRI;
Palo Alto, Calif; epri.com).
In general, field tests done under
Phase II of NETL’s program have met
the near-term goal of demonstrating
technologies that can achieve 50–70%
mercury capture and be ready for com-
mercial demonstration by 2007, says
Feeley. He adds that the estimated cost
of control is generally below DOE’s goal
of $25,000–$50,000/lb Hg removed, or
25–50% less than the baseline esti-
mates of $50,000–$70,000/lb. Phase
III calls for technologies to achieve at
least 90% capture and to be ready for
commercial demonstration by 2010.
In the field tests, performed in com-
mercial plants or in pilot units, acti-
vated carbon injection (ACI) has shown
the most promise as a near-term con-
trol technology, says Feeley. In a typi-
cal configuration, powdered activated
carbon (PAC) is injected downstream of
a plant’s air preheater (APH) and up-
stream of the particulate control device
— an electrostatic precipitator (ESP)
or fabric filter. The PAC absorbs Hg
from the fluegas and is subsequently
captured along with the fly ash.
One drawback of this technique is
that fly ash is often sold for use as a
concrete additive and PAC changes
the properties of the ash, rendering
it unsuitable for concrete. A process
called Toxecon, developed by EPRI,
avoids this problem by injecting PAC
12/26/06 5:44:44 PM
 3FBHFOU
HBT
tuminous coals, for example,
is laden with elemental mer-
cury, which is not amenable to
absorption. The reason is that
such coals contain much less
chlorine and other oxidants
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than does bituminous coal,
GMPX
explains John Pavlish, a se-
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nior research advisor with the
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GMPX Energy & Environmental Re-
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search Center (EERC, Grand
TVQQMZ
Forks, N.D.; undeerc.org).
One solution is to use a cat-
alyst or chemical to oxidize el- Bioengineering
emental mercury to the ionic
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DPPMBOU

GMPX
form. EERC has field-tested Inversina –
various chemical sorbent-en-
hancement additives (SEAs) the gentle way
to promote mercury oxidation
1SPDFTT

GMPX
and reports Hg removal of 87% of mixing.
in a test of calcium chloride,
and better than 90% removal The Inversina mixes solids or liquids
for a combination of PAC with thoroughly and efficiently. The process
a proprietary additive.
is clean, because mixing takes place in
Source: ADA-ES has tested a num-
Wheelabrator Air $POEFOTBUF closed containers that can be quickly
Pollution Control, Inc., ESBJO ber of halogen-doped carbons,
and MSE-Technology Applications particularly brominated car- interchanged. The Inversina mixes a
bon, for cases where there is diverse range of components rapidly
FIGURE 2. Elemental mercury is ionized by insufficient halogen in the and in an extremely gentle way.
injecting a reactant gas through a specially de-
signed electrode in the Plasma Enhanced Electro- fluegas. “We have got up to
Segregation does not occur, even
static Precipitation (PEESP) process 90% mercury removal with after extended mixing times, by virtue
BrACI at 3–4 lb/MMacf of gas, of the eversion phenomenon ( Paul
into the fluegas downstream of the compared with 70–80% removal for Schatz principle ) .
primary particulate filter, then cap- standard carbon,” says Sjostrom. Applications for the Inversina: analyti-
turing the mercury-laden sorbent in a Normally, sorbent is injected into cal labs, metal finishing shops, powder
secondary filter or baghouse. the lower part of a fluegas stream,
metallurgy and nuclear industry,
The first commercial installation where the temperature is low enough
manufacture of batteries, cement,
of the Toxecon process started up last to get good physical absorption. An
January at We Energies’ power plant exception to this practice is the Mer- ceramics, cosmetics, dental products,
in Marquette, Mich., as a five-year, Cure process, developed by Alstom diamond tools, dyes and pigments,
$53-million demonstration project Power, Inc. (Windsor, Conn.; power. electrical and electronic devices,
under DOE’s Clean Coal Power Initia- alstom.com). In the Mer-Cure process, explosives and pyrotechnics, foods,
tive. DOE is contributing $24.9 mil- injection takes place above the air homeopathic products, household
lion. So far the process has achieved heater, at 600–800°F. At these temper- products, medicines and pharmaceu-
70–90% Hg removal, says Chang. atures, the sorbent becomes a catalyst ticals, plastics, printing inks and many
In a newer version of the process, Tox- that oxidizes the Hg and enhances its other products. The Bioengineering
econ II, sorbent is injected into the lat- capture, explains Shin Kang, Alstom’s Inversina is available with capacities
ter fields of an ESP, rather than further technology manager.
of 2, 20, 50, 100 and 300 L .
downstream. This allows the recovery Mer-Cure uses PAC treated with
and sale of most of the ash from the first proprietary chemicals to allow high-
fields and avoids the cost of a second col- temperature use. In field tests, it has
lection system. In field tests the process achieved better than 90% Hg removal,
has obtained 60–80% Hg removal. says Kang. High-sulfur coals pres-
ent a challenge, he says, because SO3 Bioengineering, Inc.
An elemental problem competes with Hg for sorbent space. Waltham, MA 02451, USA
However, ACI is by no means a pana- Alstom is formulating a sorbent to Bioengineering AG
cea for mercury cleanup, since coal minimize SO3 interaction. 8636 Wald, Switzerland
properties vary widely. Fluegas from Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; info@bioengineering.ch
the combustion of lignites and sub-bi- praxair.com) is developing a process www.bioengineering.ch
Circle 20 on p. 66 or go to
adlinks.che.com/6891-20

26-30 CHE 1-07.indd 27 12/26/06 5:45:10 PM

 Circle 21 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/6891-21

28 CHE 1-07.indd 1 12/22/06 2:53:14 PM

 Getting to market should feel
like a sprint, not a marathon.
Newsfront

that allows plant operators to pro-

duce PAC from a plant’s pulverized
coal. The process can produce doped
PAC for less than 40% of the cost of
currently available PAC, according to
Praxair. The coal is rapidly heated and
burned at up to 4,300°F by an oxygen-
enriched gas stream in Praxair’s hot
oxygen burner (HOB). In field tests,
HOB-produced PAC has achieved 85–
94% Hg capture.
A process whose cost is expected to
be only one-tenth that of ACI per lb
of Hg removed is being developed by
Consol Energy (Pittsburgh, Pa.; con-
solenergy.com). In the Low-Tempera-
ture Mercury Control (LTMC) process,
fluegas is cooled to about 220°F, so
that Hg is absorbed on carbon inher-
ent in the fly ash. The ash is then re-
moved by an ESP. In field tests the
process has reduced Hg emissions by
more than 90%, says Consol.

Oxidation without sorbents
Elemental mercury in fluegas is oxi-
dized by injecting a reactant gas into a
wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP)
in a process being developed by Whee-
labrator Air Pollution Control Inc. (a
Siemens company, Pittsburgh, Pa.;
wapc.com) and MSE-Technology Ap-
plications (Butte, Mont.; mse-ta.com),
with support from EPRI and Southern
Company (Atlanta, Ga.; southerncom-
pany.com). The resultant water-solu-
ble compound can be removed by the
WESP or by a downstream wet or dry
fluegas desulfurization (FGD) system,
says Dan Battleson, a senior manager
with MSE-TA.
During the process, called Plasma
Enhanced Electrostatic Precipitation
(PEESP), the proprietary reactant
gas is injected through a specially de-
signed electrode that is located just
upstream of the WESP or FGD sys-
tem. The electrode’s corona discharge
ionizes the reactant gas as it is intro-
duced into the fluegas stream, where
it reacts with elemental mercury.
In pilot tests on a 5,000-acfm slip-
stream at Alabama Power’s Miller
Power Plant, near Birmingham, Ala.,
the process has achieved better than
90% oxidation of elemental mercury
and 70% total Hg removal, says Bat-
tleson. Discussions are ongoing with
several utilities, with the expectation
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26-30 CHE 1-07.indd 29 12/26/06 5:45:38 PM

 ONE SIMPLE TEST for
MOISTURE, SOLIDS Newsfront
and ASH...
that a demonstration unit will be in-
600° with the Computrac® MAX® 5000 stalled in 2007.
IUS moisture/solids/ash analyzer
CELS
Battleson says the process promises
to be cost-competitive because, un-
like ACI, its only waste stream is the
• QUICK AND SIMPLE normal WESP or WFGD slurry. Also,
the equipment occupies no more space
• GET RESULTS IN MINUTES than a regular WESP and the reactant
gas is inexpensive.
• NO HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS URS Corp. (Austin, Tex; urscorp.
OR REAGENTS com) has field-tested Hg-oxidation
catalysts of palladium and gold for
oxidizing elemental mercury. De-
signed for plants that have wet flue-
gas desulfurization (FGD) systems,
the honeycomb catalyst is installed
between the particulate-control de-
vice and the FGD system. The oxi-
AY
S TOD
CALL U ORE!.
.. Free Trials
dized Hg is scrubbed in the FGD ab-
ARN M sorber. Hg removal rates of up to 90%
TO LE
Free Application Development have been obtained with both metals,
says Gary Blythe, project manager,
24-Hour Customer Support adding that the catalyst is readily re-
generated by heating.
800-290-1414 • www.azic.com • 602-470-1414 Researchers are also working on
Circle 23 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/6891-23 ways to remove mercury from coal
prior to combustion. A group headed
• Mesh numerous alloys & plastics Wide variety of random packing types, • Catalyst bed supports • Basket strainers by Western Research Institute (Lara-
• Vane (Chevron) • Daouble Pocket Vane
sizes and materials in stock! Ask us how
our patented SuperBlend™ 2-Pac can
• Nozzles • Outlet/Inlet baskets mie, Wy.; uwyo.edu) is developing a
• Candle or Fiberbed • Insertion Mistfix® increase your capacity and efficiency. • Distributors • Hub and header laterals fluidized-bed process in which Hg is
.*45
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eous form at temperatures up to 600°F.
In tests, the process has removed 50–
57% of the Hg from lignite and over

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70% from sub-bituminous coal.

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cury emissions goals without install-
ing specific mercury-control systems.
In such plants, the SCR catalyst does
the double duty of reducing NOx and
oxidizing elemental mercury, while
the FGD system scrubs both sulfur
and mercury. However, the efficiency
of mercury removal varies from plant
to plant, says Feeley, of NETL.
At present, he says, about one-third
of the coal-fired power plants in the
U.S. have wet scrubbers (although not
necessarily SCR). EPA has estimated
WWWAMISTCOCOMsHR%-%2'%.#93%26)#%s   
that two-thirds will have wet FGD
by 2020 in order to meet the require-
%*453*#65034

46110354 $0"-&4$&34 4536$563&%
1"$,*/( ments of the Clean Air Interstate Rule
Manufactured to customer • Oil water separations • Haze removal Woven, sheet metal, and knitted (CAIR), which calls for reductions in
specifications or engineered to from fuels • Removal of tower wet reflux structured packing. Built to spec
meet performance requirements • Caustic treater applications or performance requirement. both SO2 and NOx emissions. ■
Gerald Parkinson
Circle 24 on p. 66 or go to adlinks.che.com/6891-24
30 Chemical Engineering www.che.com January 2007
4RAYSINDD 0-

26-30 CHE 1-07.indd 30 12/26/06 5:46:05 PM