SBIR Phase II: Neutralizing Utility Mercury Control Sorbents for Fly Ash Use in Concrete

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project proposes to optimize and commercially apply a newly discovered carbon material that simultaneously exhibits high gas-phase adsorption of mercury and low wet-concrete adsorption of organic surfactants. Such a material is necessary if coal-fired power plants are to inexpensively retrofit sorbent-injection technology to comply with new limits on mercury emissions while continuing to sell their fly ash wastes as substitutes for cement in concrete construction applications. The material will be tested at both the pilot and full scales, paving the way for product commercialization. The broader impact that could be achieved from this project will be a solution a serious pending economic and environment problem. The substitution of power-plant fly ash for manufactured Portland cement in construction applications is one of America's biggest recycling successes. Fly ash could lower the construction-industry concrete costs, increase the technical performance of the concretes, and preserve the environment by conserving energy and reducing both waste disposal and CO2 emissions.