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Mercury removal in utility wet scrubber using a chelating agent

Patent ·
OSTI ID:874159
 [1]
  1. Louisville, OH
+ Show Author Affiliations

A method for capturing and reducing the mercury content of an industrial flue gas such as that produced in the combustion of a fossil fuel or solid waste adds a chelating agent, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or other similar compounds like HEDTA, DTPA and/or NTA, to the flue gas being scrubbed in a wet scrubber used in the industrial process. The chelating agent prevents the reduction of oxidized mercury to elemental mercury, thereby increasing the mercury removal efficiency of the wet scrubber. Exemplary tests on inlet and outlet mercury concentration in an industrial flue gas were performed without and with EDTA addition. Without EDTA, mercury removal totaled 42%. With EDTA, mercury removal increased to 71%. The invention may be readily adapted to known wet scrubber systems and it specifically provides for the removal of unwanted mercury both by supplying S.sup.2- ions to convert Hg.sup.2+ ions into mercuric sulfide (HgS) and by supplying a chelating agent to sequester other ions, including but not limited to Fe.sup.2+ ions, which could otherwise induce the unwanted reduction of Hg.sup.2+ to the form, Hg.sup.0.

Research Organization:
BABCOCK & WILCOX CO
DOE Contract Number:
FC22-94PC94251
Assignee:
McDermott Technology, Inc. (New Orleans, LA)
Patent Number(s):
US 6328939
OSTI ID:
874159
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (5)

Enhanced control of mercury emissions through modified speciation report July 1997
Uptake of Elemental Mercury Vapors by Activated Carbons journal March 1996
Advanced Emissions Control Development Program report October 1998
The fate of mercury in coal-fired power plants and the influence of wet flue-gas desulphurization journal April 1991
Advanced Emissions Control Development Program report March 2001

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/423/
42
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acid
adapted
addition
adds
agent
andor
capturing
chelating
chelating agent
combustion
compounds
concentration
content
convert
dtpa
edta
efficiency
elemental
elemental mercury
ethylenediaminetetraacetic
exemplary
fesup2
flue
flue gas
form
fossil
fuel
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hedta
hgs
hgsup0
hgsup2
including
increased
increasing
induce
industrial
inlet
limited
mercuric
mercury
method
nta
otherwise
outlet
oxidized
performed
prevents
process
produced
provides
readily
reducing
reduction
removal
scrubbed
scrubber
sequester
similar
solid
specifically
ssup2-
sulfide
supplying
systems
tests
totaled
unwanted
utility
waste
wet
wet scrubber