A New Sorbent for Removal of Mercury from Flue Gas: A Lower Cost Alternative to Activated Carbon-REVISED

The cost of reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants is an impediment to the implementation of new mercury emission standards, particularly in older power plants. The use of a sorbent to capture mercury from the flue gas is considered to be the most effective approach, but issues pertaining to secondary emissions and the degradation of the fly-ash byproduct (which results from entrained sorbent) are yet to be resolved fully. This project aims to overcome these barriers by developing an environmentally benign sorbent powder that also renders the fly ash usable. Although the sorbent has a novel composite morphology, it is anticipated to be highly cost competitive. Sorbent powders were produced in Phase I and tested at a host utility in the western United States. In addition, to obtaining excellent mercury removal efficiency, it was demonstrated that the sorbent powders are more concrete-friendly than most state-of-the-art commercial sorbents. Phase II will involve the further development and optimization of the morphology of the sorbent particles. The production process will be scaled to a commercial level by working in partnership with a leading powder manufacturer based in the United States. Mercury removal efficiency initially will be tested in a slip stream at a utility, followed by full-scale tests in year two. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The federal government¿s Blue Skies Initiative targets a 70% reduction in mercury emissions by 2018. A new sorbent technology that could be readily used by coal-fired power plants with a minimal overall cost impact should help achieve this target. The market for sorbents to reduce mercury emissions is projected to be $1billion over the next ten years.