REAL-TIME CONTINUOUS ANALYSIS OF TOTAL AND ELEMENTAL MERCURY

STATIONARY SOURCES IN THE U.S. EMIT ABOUT ONE MILLION KG OF MERCURY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE ANNUALLY. MAJOR SOURCES OF THESE EMISSONS ARE FOSIL FUEL COMBUSTIONFACILITIES ANE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE INCINERATORS. MUCH WORK IS BEING DONE BY DOE AND INDUSTRY TO CHARACTERIZE THESE EMISSIONS AND TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE CONTROL MEASURES. CONTINUOUS EMISSIONS MONITORS (CEMS) FOR MERCURY WILL PLAY A SIGNIFCANT ROLE IN QUICKLY ADVANCING THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLOF MERCURY EMISSIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, EXISTING CEMs ARE CAPABLE OF MEASURING ONLY THE ELEMENTAL FORM OF MERCURY, AND DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR SPECIATED MERCURY COMPOUNDS ADEQUATELY. PHASE I OUTLINES A PLAN FOR DEVEOPING A TECHNOLOGY FOR CONVERTING SPECIATED MERCUIRY COMPOUNDS TO THE ELEMENTAL FORM FOR MEASUREMENT USING CEMS. A SUCCESSULLY DEVELOPED SYSTEM WILL ALLOW A MERCURY CEM TO BE USED TO CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR ELEMENTAL MERCURY EMISSIONS, TOTAL MERCURY EMISSIONS, AND (BY DIFFERENCE) TOTAL SPECIATED MERCURY EMISSIONS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES. A SUCCESSFUL PHASE I PROJECT WILL BE EXPANDED IN PHASE II WHERE A CONVERTER WILL BE FABRICATED FOR USE WITH A MERCURY CEM. THE PHASE II MONITORING SYSTEM FOR TOTAL MERCURY WILL BE EVALUATEDAND VALIDATED AT SEVERAL STATIONARY SOURCES.