Mercury Measurement and Control is Hot Topic Hour on Thursday, October 14, 2010
At the Hot Topic Hour webinar on Mercury Control and Removal Status last March, the consensus of the participants was that obtaining 90 percent mercury removal would be very difficult. Considerable discussion also focused on the measurement of mercury at the levels that would be in the stack gases if 90 percent removal is achieved. It was agreed that it may be very difficult to determine and prove what efficiency is being achieved.
Now that the PC MACT has been finalized and the IB MACT proposed, the utility industry has a good idea what will be coming in the Utility MACT – at least 90 percent removal of mercury if not greater by 2015. In addition to the MACT, EPA is also in the process of promulgating new regulations that will impact emissions standards for NOx and SO2 (Transport Rule), particulates and greenhouse gases. States are also tightening surface water discharge limits on trace metals and salts to meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements for surface water discharge as well as increasingly regulating solid waste disposal.
Control of mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers is currently achieved via three general broad methods: use of coals with low mercury content along with coal prep or washing, activated carbon injection (ACI), and multi-pollutant control, in which Hg capture is enhanced in existing control devices for SO2, NOx, and particulates. Multi-pollutant methods include capture of Hgp in PM control equipment and soluble oxidized Hg compounds in wet FGD systems. SCR NOx control systems are also used to enhance oxidation of elemental Hg0 in flue gas to increase the mercury removal in a wet FGD.
This overall scheme of regulations will make it even more difficult to develop a strategy and select the most appropriate method for mercury control. An integrated approach that considers how to capture mercury as well as other pollutants and dispose of them in an environmentally friendly manner will be necessary. For example, many power plants are investing millions of dollars to remove selenium from FGD wastewater. If activated carbon was used for mercury control and it also removed a significant percentage of the selenium, it could save the plant a lot of money. However, if the plant does not have a wet FGD or a high level of selenium, perhaps another method of controlling mercury would be a better choice.
The following speakers will help us understand the current situation relative to the monitoring and control of mercury from coal-fired power plants. We would like speakers to address the potential rules and regulations and their timing; the key issues to be considered when developing a strategy to achieve compliance with the MACT; the current status of and new developments relative to the injection of activated carbon and other materials for mercury removal; the multi-emission control technologies available and under development with their applicability, capabilities and limitations and present other alternatives available to achieve compliance with the expected regulations.
John T. Foster, Executive V.P. Sales and Technology at SPE-AMEREX, will review historical information on Hg removal from MSW incinerators since 1985 and the first round of the industrial boiler MACT. These historical results will be compared with anticipated future regulations for coal-fired boilers. Additional issues including SO3 interference and IB MACT dioxin limits as related to carbon injection results will be addressed.
Dr. Christopher Martin, Research Engineer at the EERC will be the presenter and John Pavlish, Senior Research Advisor and the Director of the Center for Air Toxic Metals® (CATM®) Program at the Energy & Environmental Research Center of the University of North Dakota will be the co-presenter. Their presentation will discuss the common mechanisms that limit mercury capture with activated carbon injection (ACI), as identified through fundamental study of mercury–carbon interactions and analysis of pilot and field data. Recognizing the typical trends with mercury capture can assist in the selection of ACI parameters that are most likely to achieve high reductions that may be mandated in the near future.
Dr. Ronald R. Landreth, Technical Business Development Manager at Albemarle Corporation will discuss “How to Maximize Mercury Capture While Preserving Fly Ash Sales.” His presentation will detail how Albemarle’s total system approach (CFD modeling, mobile demonstration unit, ACI system, and proprietary C-PACTM, Concrete-FriendlyTM mercury sorbent) is used to achieve maximum mercury capture while preserving flyash sales at PPL’s Corette, Montana station.
Bobby I.T. Chen, Client Program Manager at The Shaw Group, will describe how Shaw is applying the Enhanced Mercury Oxidization (EMO) chemical to enhance mercury oxidization to facilitate post combustion mercury capture. The targeted Hg oxidization rate is around 90 percent applying EMO.
To register for the "Hot Topic Hour" on October 14, 2010 at 10 a.m. CDT (Chicago time), click on: on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm
Bob McIlvaine
President
847 784 0012 ext 112
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com