Nanoporous Sorbents for Mercury Removal from Flue Gases

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mercury is a significant environmental concern because of its toxicity, persistence in the environment, and bioaccumulation in the food chain. Approximately 80% of all U.S. mercury emissions come from coal-fired power plants and waste incinerators. Mercury is difficult to control in flue gas because it exists as a vapor, which easily passes through conventional particulate control devices. Activated carbon injection has been demonstrated as a control technology for waste incinerators to capture mercury along with fly ash in particulate control devices. However, for efficient removal of mercury a large quantity of activated carbon sorbent is needed, which creates fly ash utilization and disposal problems. To overcome these limitations, Lynntech is developing a new nanoporous sorbent for efficient and cost-effective removal of mercury from flue gas. The goal of this proposed research is to develop and commercialize a cartridge system containing the new nanoporous sorbent that can be easily retrofitted into the existing waste incinerators and power plants. Preliminary studies performed with this sorbent using mercury vapor demonstrated >99.9% mercury removal. The overall aim of Phase I is to optimize compositions to maximize mercury capacity and minimize manufacturing cost. A series of candidate sorbent materials will be generated and tested in simulated waste incinerator flue gas. The best-performing candidates will be selected for additional testing to characterize the effects of feed gas variation and composition. Methods for sorbent recycling will be developed.