SBIR Phase I: Improved Methods to Manufacture Brominated-Carbon Adsorbents for Power-Plant Mercury-Emission Control

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to rigorously analyze a newly manufactured material that has demonstrated remarkable mercury emission control performance at low costs in a number of recent full-scale power plant trials. This project subjects brominated carbons to a suite of state-of-the-art analytical techniques in a strategy organized to produce both a clearer understanding of carbon materials and optimum strategies for manufacturing the new materials. Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants will soon be regulated for the first time. The injection of brominated carbon ahead of a plant's existing particulate control is a leading technology candidate for wide application. Tens or hundreds of thousands of tons of these materials could be consumed annually, yet little is known about the science or optimal manufacturing of these new materials. This project seeks to maximize the mercury adsorption performance of these materials, while minimizing their manufacturing costs. Knowledge generated by this project could conceivably save U.S. electricity ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually.