Elemental mercury removals observed in a laboratory-scale wet FGD scrubber system

Conference · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994

OSTI ID:10175251

Mendelsohn, M H; Wu, J; Huang, H; Livengood, C D

Published data are limited regarding gaseous mercury removal in wet scrubber flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. The data that do exist show a wide variation in reported mercury removals, from about 5 to 95%. We have performed tests for the removal of gaseous elemental mercury in a well-controlled laboratory environment by using both conventional and modified configurations of an aqueous scrubber system. Results from these tests strongly suggest that the removal of elemental mercury in a wet scrubber system is controlled by liquid-film resistance. Our results have also led us to hypothesize that the mercury-containing species in a flue-gas stream consist of only two types: elemental mercury and oxidized mercury compounds. We further assert that the differences observed in mercury removal reflect different proportions of each of these two types of mercury-containing species. We suggest that the total mercury removal will be high when the actual, but unmeasured, proportion of oxidized mercury compounds is high.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10175251
• Report Number(s): ANL/ES/CP--81850; CONF-940952--1; ON: DE94016885
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010800
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200202
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
COAL
DESULFURIZATION
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
MERCURY
NOXIOUS GAS AND PARTICULATE EMISSIONS
REMOVAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT