STTR Phase I: Silica-Titania Coated Packing: A Novel Solution Capable of 99% Hg Capture at a Low 20-year Cost

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I Research project proposes to develop a novel adsorbent packing material impregnated with photocatalyst particles, Silica-Titania Coated Packing (STCP), that can economically capture greater than 90% of mercury in flue gas. Mercury is a persistent pollutant that accumulates in the environment and can negatively affect human health. Coal-fired power plants are the largest anthropogenic source of mercury pollution in the United States. In the proposed work, the STCP material will be synthesized and tested in bench-scale experiments with simulated flue gas and in actual flue gas at a local power utility. Parameters needed for the design of pilot and commercial units will be determined. The proposed work would develop a lower cost removal of mercury, adsorbed in all chemical forms, from combustion of gas streams. When commercialized, the STCP technology would offer the power industry a robust and economical technology that does not negatively impact the balance of plant issues, and does not compromise the salability of fly ash. The technology proposed has application to all coal-fired plants, and is particularly well-suited for those utilities that burn lignite or sub-bituminous coal, which when combusted produce higher concentrations of elemental mercury compared to ionic mercury.