Ultra-high adsorption of Hg0 using impregnated activated carbon by selenium

Activated carbon was one of the main adsorptions utilized in elemental mercury (Hg⁰) removal from coal combustion flue gas. However, the high cost and low physical adsorption efficiency of activated carbon injection (ACI) limited its application. In this study, an ultra-high efficiency (nearly 100%) catalyst sorbent-Se_x/Activated carbon (Se_x/AC) was synthesized and applied to remove Hg⁰ in the simulated flue gas, which exhibited 120 times outstanding adsorption performance versus the conventional activated carbon. The Se_x/AC reached 17.98 mg/g Hg⁰ adsorption capacity at 160 °C under the pure nitrogen atmosphere. Moreover, it maintained an excellent mercury adsorption tolerance, reaching the efficiency of Hg⁰ removal above 85% at the NO and SO₂ conditions in a bench-scale fixed-bed reactor. Characterized by the multiple methods, including BET, XRD, XPS, kinetic and thermodynamic analysis, and the DFT calculation, we demonstrated that the ultrahigh mercury removal performance originated from the activated Se species in Se_x/AC. Chemical adsorption plays a dominant role in Hg⁰ removal: Selenium anchored on the surface of AC would capture Hg⁰ in the flue gas to form an extremely stable substance-HgSe, avoiding subsequent Hg⁰ released. Additionally, the oxygen-containing functional groups in AC and the higher BET areas promote the conversion of Hg⁰ to HgO. This work provided a novel and highly efficient carbon-based sorbent -Se_x/AC to capture the mercury in coal combustion flue gas.

Selenium-modified porous activated carbon and the interface functional group promotes the synergistic effect of physical adsorption and chemical adsorption to promote the adsorption capacity of Hg⁰.

     

Mercury (Hg) emissions from domestic biomass combustion for space heating

Three mercury (Hg) species (gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and fine particulate-bound mercury (PBM_2.5)) were measured in the stack of a small scale wood combustion chamber at 400 °C, in the stack of an advanced wood boiler, and in two areas influenced by wood combustion. The low temperature process (lab-scale) emitted mostly GEM (∼99% when burning wood pellets and ∼95% when burning unprocessed wood). The high temperature wood boiler emitted a greater proportion of oxidized Hg (approximately 65%) than the low temperature system. In field measurements, mean PBM_2.5 concentrations at the rural and urban sites in winter were statistically significantly higher than in warmer seasons and were well correlated with Delta-C concentrations, a wood combustion indictor measured by an aethalometer (UV-absorbable carbon minus black carbon). Overall the results suggest that wood combustion may be an important source of oxidized mercury (mostly in the particulate phase) in northern climates in winter.     

Transpiration of gaseous elemental mercury through vegetation in a subtropical wetland in Florida

Four seasonal sampling campaigns were carried out in the Florida Everglades to measure elemental Hg vapor (Hg°) fluxes over emergent macrophytes using a modified Bowen ratio gradient approach. The predominant flux of Hg° over both invasive cattail and native sawgrass stands was emission; mean day time fluxes over cattail ranged from ∼20 (winter) to ∼40 (summer) ng m⁻² h⁻¹. Sawgrass fluxes were about half those over cattail during comparable periods. Emission from vegetation significantly exceeded evasion of Hg° from the underlying water surface (∼1–2 ng m⁻² h⁻¹) measured simultaneously using floating chambers. Among several environmental factors (e.g. CO₂ flux, water vapor flux, wind speed, water, air and leaf temperature, and solar radiation), water vapor exhibited the strongest correlation with Hg° flux, and transpiration is suggested as an appropriate term to describe this phenomenon. The lack of significant Hg° emissions from a live, but uprooted (floating) cattail stand suggests that a likely source of the transpired Hg° is the underlying sediments. The pattern of Hg° fluxes typically measured indicated a diel cycle with two peaks, possibly related to different gas exchange dynamics: one in early morning related to lacunal gas release, and a second at midday related to transpiration; nighttime fluxes approached zero.     

Determination of the Adsorption Isotherm of Vapor-Phase Mercury Chloride on Powdered Activated Carbon Using Thermogravimetric Analysis

Abstract

This study investigated the use of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to determine the adsorptive capacity and adsorption isotherm of vapor-phase mercury chloride on powdered activated carbon (PAC). The technique is commonly applied to remove mercury-containing air pollutants from gas streams emitted from municipal solid waste incinerators. An alternative form of powdered activated carbon derived from a pyrolyzed tire char was prepared for use herein. The capacity of waste tire-derived PAC to adsorb vapor-phase HgCl₂ was successfully measured using a self-designed TGA adsorption system. Experimental results showed that the maximum adsorptive capacities of HgCl₂ were 1.75, 0.688, and 0.230 mg of HgCl₂ per gram of powdered activated carbon derived from carbon black at 30, 70, and 150 °C for 500 µg/m³ of HgCl₂, respectively. Four adsorption isotherms obtained using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) models were used to simulate the adsorption of HgCl₂. The comparison of experimental data associated with the four adsorption isotherms indicated that BET fit the experimental results better than did the other isotherms at 30 °C, whereas the Freundlich isotherm fit the experimental results better at 70 and 150 °C. Furthermore, the calculations of the parameters associated with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms revealed that the adsorption of HgCl₂ by PAC-derived carbon black favored adsorption at various HgCl₂ concentrations and temperatures.     

Low Concentration Mercury Sorption Mechanisms and Control by Calcium-Based Sorbents: Application in Coal-Fired Processes

ABSTRACT

The capture of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) and mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) by three types of calcium (Ca)-based sor-bents was examined in this bench-scale study under conditions prevalent in coal-fired utilities. Ca-based sorbent performances were compared with that of an activated carbon. Hg⁰ capture of about 40% (nearly half that of the activated carbon) was achieved by two of the Ca-based sorbents. The presence of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in the simulated coal combustion flue gas enhanced the Hg⁰ capture from about 10 to 40%. Increasing the temperature in the range of 65-100 °C also caused an increase in the Hg⁰ capture by the two Ca-based sorbents. Mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) capture exhibited a totally different pattern. The presence of SO₂ inhibited the HgCl₂ capture by Ca-based sorbents from about 25 to less than 10%. Increasing the temperature in the studied range also caused a decrease in HgCl₂ capture. Upon further pilot-scale confirmations, the results obtained in this bench-scale study can be used to design and manufacture more cost-effective mercury sorbents to replace conventional sorbents already in use in mercury control.     

Distribution of mercury in the combustion products from coal-fired power plants in Guizhou,southwest China

Method 30B and the Ontario Hydro Method (OHM) were used to sample the mercury in the flue gas discharged from the seven power plants in Guizhou Province, southwest China. In order to investigate the mercury migration and transformation during coal combustion and pollution control process, the contents of mercury in coal samples, bottom ash, fly ash, and gypsum were measured. The mercury in the flue gas released into the atmosphere mainly existed in the form of Hg°. The precipitator shows a superior ability to remove Hg^p (particulate mercury) from flue gas. The removal efficiency of Hg²⁺ by wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) was significantly higher than that for the other two forms of mercury. The synergistic removal efficiency of mercury by the air pollution control devices (APCDs) installed in the studied power plants is 66.69–97.56%. The Hg mass balance for the tested seven coal-fired power plants varied from 72.87% to 109.67% during the sampling time. After flue gas flowing through APCDs, most of the mercury in coal was enriched in fly ash and gypsum, with only a small portion released into the atmosphere with the flue gas. The maximum discharge source of Hg for power plants was fly ash and gypsum instead of Hg emitted with flue gas through the chimney into the atmosphere. With the continuous upgrading of APCDs, more and more mercury will be enriched in fly ash and gypsum. Extra attention should be paid to the re-release of mercury from the reutilization of by-products from APCDs.

Implications: Method 30B and the Ontario Hydro Method (OHM) were used to test the mercury concentration in the flue gas discharged from seven power plants in Guizhou Province, China. The concentrations of mercury in coal samples, bottom ash, fly ash, and gypsum were also measured. By comparison of the mercury content of different products, we found that the maximum discharge source of Hg for power plants was fly ash and gypsum, instead of Hg emitted with flue gas through the chimney into the atmosphere. With the continuous upgrading of APCDs, more and more mercury will be enriched in fly ash and gypsum. Extra attention should be paid to the re-release of mercury from the reutilization of by-products from APCDs.     

The IMPROVE_A Temperature Protocol for Thermal/Optical Carbon Analysis: Maintaining Consistency with a Long-Term Database

Abstract

Thermally derived carbon fractions including organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) have been reported for the U.S. Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network since 1987 and have been found useful in source apportionment studies and to evaluate quartz-fiber filter adsorption of organic vapors. The IMPROVE_A temperature protocol defines temperature plateaus for thermally derived carbon fractions of 140 °C for OC1, 280 °C for OC2, 480 °C for OC3, and 580 °C for OC4 in a helium (He) carrier gas and 580 °C for EC1, 740 °C for EC2, and 840 °C for EC3 in a 98% He/2% oxygen (O₂) carrier gas. These temperatures differ from those used previously because new hardware used for the IMPROVE thermal/optical reflectance (IMPROVE_TOR) protocol better represents the sample temperature than did the old hardware. A newly developed temperature calibration method demonstrates that these temperatures better represent sample temperatures in the older units used to quantify IMPROVE carbon fractions from 1987 through 2004. Only the thermal fractions are affected by changes in temperature. The OC and EC by TOR are insensitive to the change in temperature protocol, and therefore the long-term consistency of the IMPROVE database is conserved. A method to detect small quantities of O₂ in the pure He carrier gas shows that O₂ levels above 100 ppmv also affect the comparability of thermal carbon fractions but have little effect on the IMPROVE_TOR split between OC and EC.     

Comparison of particle emissions from small heavy fuel oil and wood-fired boilers

Flue gas emissions of wood and heavy fuel oil (HFO) fired district heating units of size range 4–15 MW were studied. The emission measurements included analyses of particle mass, number and size distributions, particle chemical compositions and gaseous emissions. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were carried out to interpret the experimental findings.In wood combustion, PM1 (fine particle emission) was mainly formed of K, S and Cl, released from the fuel. In addition PM1 contained small amounts of organic material, CO₃, Na and different metals of which Zn was the most abundant. The fine particles from HFO combustion contained varying transient metals and Na that originate from the fuel, sulphuric acid, elemental carbon (soot) and organic material. The majority of particles were formed at high temperature (>800 °C) from V, Ni, Fe and Na. At the flue gas dew point (125 °C in undiluted flue gas) sulphuric acid condensed forming a liquid layer on the particles. This increases the PM1 substantially and may lead to partial dissolution of the metallic cores.Wood-fired grate boilers had 6–21-fold PM1 and 2–23-fold total suspended particle (TSP) concentrations upstream of the particle filters when compared to those of HFO-fired boilers. However, the use of single field electrostatic precipitators (ESP) in wood-fired grate boilers decreased particle emissions to same level or even lower as in HFO combustion. On the other hand, particles released from the HFO boilers were clearly smaller and higher in number concentration than those of wood boilers with ESPs. In addition, in contrast to wood combustion, HFO boilers produce notable SO₂ emissions that contribute to secondary particle formation in the atmosphere. Due to vast differences in concentrations of gaseous and particle emissions and in the physical and chemical properties of the particles, HFO and wood fuel based energy production units are likely to have very different effects on health and climate.     

ZnCl2法污泥含炭吸附剂对模拟烟气中气态汞的吸附

采用改进的ZnCl2学活化法制备污泥含炭吸附剂,利用EDS以及氮吸附等多种测试手段对所制得的污泥含炭吸附剂进行表征,并利用其处理模拟烟气汞污染物,实验结果表明,污泥含炭吸附剂对Hg^0吸附包括物理吸附作用和化学吸附作用,以物理吸附作用为主;随着Hg^0入口浓度的提高,污泥含炭吸附剂的Hg^0饱和吸附容量增大;随着吸附反应温度的升高污泥含炭吸附对Hg^0的吸附作用减弱;在吸附反应温度125℃,Hg^0入口浓度60．4μg／m3污泥含炭吸附剂和选定的活性炭对Hg^0吸附容量分别为81．2gg／g和53．8μg／g,污泥含炭吸附剂对Hg^0吸附作用好于选定的活性炭。     

The Adsorptive Capacity of Vapor-Phase Mercury Chloride onto Powdered Activated Carbon Derived from Waste Tires

Abstract

Injection of powdered activated carbon (PAC) upstream of particulate removal devices (such as electrostatic precipitator and baghouses) has been used effectively to remove hazardous air pollutants, particularly mercury-containing pollutants, emitted from combustors and incinerators. Compared with commercial PACs (CPACs), an alternative PAC derived from waste tires (WPAC) was prepared for this study. The equilibrium adsorptive capacity of mercury chloride (HgCl₂) vapor onto the WPAC was further evaluated with a self-designed bench-scale adsorption column system. The adsorption temperatures investigated in the adsorption column were controlled at 25 and 150 °C. The superficial velocity and residence time of the flow were 0.01 m/sec and 4 sec, respectively. The adsorption column tests were run under nitrogen gas flow. Experimental results showed that WPAC with higher Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area could adsorb more HgCl₂ at room temperature. The equilibrium adsorptive capacity of HgCl₂ for WPAC measured in this study was 1.49 × 10^?1 mg HgCl₂/g PAC at 25 °C with an initial HgCl₂ concentration of 25 μg/m³. With the increase of adsorption temperature ≤150 °C, the equilibrium adsorptive capacity of HgCl₂ for WPAC was decreased to 1.×34 10^?1 mg HgCl₂/g PA≤C. Furthermore,WPAC with higher sulfur contents could adsorb even more HgCl₂ because of the reactions between sulfur and Hg²⁺ at 150 °C. It was demonstrated that the mechanisms for adsorbing HgCl₂ onto WPAC were physical adsorption and chemisorption at 25 and 150 °C, respectively. Experimental results also indicated that the apparent overall driving force model appeared to have the good correlation with correlation coefficients (r) >0.998 for HgCl₂ adsorption at 25 and 150 °C. Moreover, the equilibrium adsorptive capacity of HgCl₂ for virgin WPAC was similar to that for CPAC at 25 °C, whereas it was slightly higher for sulfurized WPAC than for CPAC at 150 °C.     

An Urban Airshed Model for Predicting Carbon Monoxide Concentrations in Tucson,Arizona

ABSTRACT

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is conducting research to investigate mercury removal in utility flue gas using sorbents. Bench-scale and pilot-scale tests have been conducted to determine the abilities of different sor-bents to remove mercury in simulated and actual flue gas streams. Bench-scale tests have investigated the effects of various sorbent and flue gas parameters on sorbent performance. These data are being used to develop a theoretical model for predicting mercury removal by sorbents at different conditions. This paper describes the results of parametric bench-scale tests investigating the removal of mercuric chloride and elemental mercury by activated carbon.

Results obtained to date indicate that the adsorption capacity of a given sorbent is dependent on many factors, including the type of mercury being adsorbed, flue gas composition, and adsorption temperature. These data provide insight into potential mercury adsorption mechanisms and suggest that the removal of mercury involves both physical and chemical mechanisms. Understanding these effects is important since the performance of a given sorbent could vary significantly from site to site depending on the coal- or gas-matrix composition.     

Adsorption of mercury by activated carbon prepared from dried sewage sludge in simulated flue gas

Conversion of sewage sludge to activated carbon is attractive as an alternative method to ocean dumping for the disposal of sewage sludge. Injection of activated carbon upstream of particulate matter control devices has been suggested as a method to remove elemental mercury from flue gas. Activated carbon was prepared using various activation temperatures and times and was tested for their mercury adsorption efficiency using lab-scale systems. To understand the effect of the physical property of the activated carbon, its mercury adsorption efficiency was investigated as a function of its Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area. Two simulated flue gas conditions, (1) without hydrogen chloride (HCl) and (2) with 20 ppm HCl, were used to investigate the effect of flue gas composition on the mercury adsorption capacity of activated carbon. Despite very low BET surface area of the prepared sewage sludge activated carbons, their mercury adsorption efficiencies were comparable under both simulated flue gas conditions to those of pinewood and coal activated carbons. After injecting HCl into the simulated flue gas, all sewage sludge activated carbons demonstrated high adsorption efficiencies, that is, more than 87%, regardless of their BET surface area.

Implications: We tested activated carbons prepared from dried sewage sludge to investigate the effect of their physical properties on their mercury adsorption efficiency. Using two simulated flue gas conditions, we conducted mercury speciation for the outlet gas. We found that the sewage sludge activated carbon had mercury adsorption efficiency comparable to pinewood and coal activated carbons, and the presence of HCl minimized the effect of physical property of the activated carbon on its mercury adsorption efficiency.     

Simultaneous removal of sulfur dioxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from incineration flue gas using activated carbon fibers

Incineration flue gas contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The effects of SO₂ concentration (0, 350, 750, and 1000 ppm), reaction temperature (160, 200, and 280 °C), and the type of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) on the removal of SO₂ and PAHs by ACFs were examined in this study. A fluidized bed incinerator was used to simulate practical incineration flue gas. It was found that the presence of SO₂ in the incineration flue gas could drastically decrease removal of PAHs because of competitive adsorption. The effect of rise in the reaction temperature from 160 to 280 °C on removal of PAHs was greater than that on SO₂ removal at an SO₂ concentration of 750 ppm. Among the three ACFs studied, ACF-B, with the highest microporous volume, highest O content, and the tightest structure, was the best adsorbent for removing SO₂ and PAHs when these gases coexisted in the incineration flue gas.

ImplicationsSimultaneous adsorption of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted from incineration flue gas onto activated carbon fibers (ACFs) meant to devise a new technique showed that the presence of SO₂ in the incineration flue gas leads to a drastic decrease in removal of PAHs because of competitive adsorption. Reaction temperature had a greater influence on PAHs removal than on SO₂ removal. ACF-B, with the highest microporous volume, highest O content, and tightest structure among the three studied ACFs, was found to be the best adsorbent for removing SO₂ and PAHs.     

Removal of Disperse Red dye by bamboo-based activated carbon: optimisation, kinetics and equilibrium

This research involved the use of response surface methodology (RSM) to investigate the adsorption of Disperse Red 167 dye onto the bamboo-based activated carbon activated with H₃PO₄ (PBAC) in a batch process. F400, a commercially available activated carbon, was used in parallel for comparison. Analysis of variance showed that input variables such as the contact time, temperature, adsorbent dosage and the interaction between the temperature and the contact time had a significant effect on the dye removal for both adsorbents. RSM results show that the optimal contact time, temperature, initial dye concentration and adsorbent dosage for both adsorbents were found to be 15.4 h, 50 °C, 50.0 mg L^?1 and 12.0 g L^?1, respectively. Under these optimal conditions, the removal efficiencies reached 90.23 % and 92.13 % for PBAC and F400, respectively, with a desirability of 0.937. The validation of the experimental results confirmed the prediction of the models derived from RSM. The adsorption followed a nonlinear pseudo-first-order model and agreed well with the Freundlich and Temkin isotherm as judged by the levels of the AICc and the Akaike weight. Furthermore, the thermodynamics analysis indicated that, for both adsorbents, the adsorption was a physical process that was spontaneous, entropy-increasing and endothermic.     

Kinetic, equilibrium isotherm and thermodynamic studies of Cr(VI) adsorption onto low-cost adsorbent developed from peanut shell activated with phosphoric acid

A particular agricultural waste, peanut shell, has been used as precursor for activated carbon production by chemical activation with H₃PO₄. Unoxidized activated carbon was prepared in nitrogen atmosphere which was then heated in air at a desired temperature to get oxidized activated carbon. The prepared carbons were characterized for surface area, surface morphology, and pore volume and utilized for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. Batch mode experiments were conducted to study the effects of pH, contact time, particle size, adsorbent dose, initial concentration of adsorbate, and temperature on the adsorption of Cr(VI). Cr(VI) adsorption was significantly dependent on solution pH, and the optimum adsorption was observed at pH 2. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models were used to analyze the kinetic data obtained at different initial Cr(VI) concentrations. The adsorption kinetic data were described very well by the pseudo-second-order model. Equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. The results showed that the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model fitted the data better in the temperature range studied. The adsorption capacity which was found to increase with temperature showed the endothermic nature of Cr(VI) adsorption. The thermodynamic parameters, such as Gibb’s Free energy change (ΔG°), standard enthalpy change (ΔH°), and standard entropy change (ΔS°) were evaluated.     

Nitrogen oxides emissions from the MILD combustion with the conditions of recirculation gas

The nitrogen oxides (NO_x) reduction technology by combustion modification which has economic benefits as a method of controlling NO_x emitted in the combustion process, has recently been receiving a lot of attention. Especially, the moderate or intense low oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion which applied high temperature flue gas recirculation has been confirmed for its effectiveness with regard to solid fuel as well. MILD combustion is affected by the flue gas recirculation ratio and the composition of recirculation gas, so its NO_x reduction efficiency is determined by them. In order to investigate the influence of factors which determine the reduction efficiency of NO_x in MILD coal combustion, this study changed the flow rate and concentration of nitrogen (N₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and steam (H₂O) which simulate the recirculation gas during the MILD coal combustion using our lab-scale drop tube furnace and performed the combustion experiment. As a result, its influence by the composition of recirculation gas was insignificant and it was shown that flue gas recirculation ratio influences the change of NO_x concentration greatly. Implications: We investigated the influence of factors determining the nitrogen oxides (NO_x) reduction efficiency in MILD coal combustion, which applied high-temperature flue gas recirculation. Using a lab-scale drop tube furnace and simulated recirculation gas, we conducted combustion testing changing the recirculation gas conditions. We found that the flue gas recirculation ratio influences the reduction of NO_x emissions the most.     

The Effects of Liquid Water Addition In Gas Turbine Combustors

The addition of liquid water, in quantities equivalent to the mass of fuel consumed, exerts thermal and chemical effects upon the combustion process in a gas turbine engine. The thermal influence is produced by the vaporizalion and heating of the water and its vapor. The final temperature is reduced and the concentrations of NO _x , O, OH, CO are lower than standard combustion concentrations. Chemically, the additional H₂O participates in reactions producing the aforementioned species. However, the lower temperature overrides this influence. These effects have been assessed for different fuel states, i.e., for pre-mixed combustion and for liquid fuel undergoing vaporization and mixing.     

Development of a High-Temperature Subtractive Analyzer for Hydrocarbons

This paper discusses the development of a high-temperature subtractive analyzer for separating the hydrocarbons present in gaseous mixtures into two categories— reactive hydrocarbons and unreactive hydrocarbons. The analyzer utilizes the ability of selected substances to absorb certain groups of hydrocarbons and their derivatives from a gas mixture and is designed for operation with a flame ion-ization detector. The body of information presented in this paper is directed to individuals concerned with the analysis of the exhaust gases of gas turbine engines or other combustion sources as stationary power plants. The analyzer grew out of an investigation of a previously reported subtractive analyzer system which operates at ambient temperature. Current state-of-the-art requirements for the accurate determination of total hydrocarbons at the concentrations present in turbine exhaust gases necessitate that sampling and measurements be conducted at elevated temperatures (325-375°F), rather than ambient temperature, to reduce or eliminate condensation and wall adsorption sampling errors. To fulfill this requirement, the sampling lines and flame ionization detector must be heated. After tests determined that the previously reported scrubber system would not remove the same hydrocarbons at elevated temperature levels as it did at ambient temperatures, an investigation of the effectiveness of various absorbents at elevated temperatures was conducted. This led to the development and test of the high-temperature subtractive analyzer concept discussed in this report. In its final form, one path of this unit contains no absorbent, the second contains a column of concentrated H₂SO₄ on Ultraport and a column containing PdSO₄ and H₂SO₄ on Ultraport. The two columns are connected in series. The absorbents remove olefins, aromatics, acetylene, and oxygenated hydrocarbons but pass paraffins. As the final step in this program, a comparison of the two subtractive analyzers was made using the exhaust from a gas turbine combustion system.     

Investigation of Selective Catalytic Reduction Impact on Mercury Speciation under Simulated NOx Emission Control Conditions

Abstract

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology increasingly is being applied for controlling emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) from coal-fired boilers. Some recent field and pilot studies suggest that the operation of SCR could affect the chemical form of mercury (Hg) in coal combustion flue gases. The speciation of Hg is an important factor influencing the control and environmental fate of Hg emissions from coal combustion. The vanadium and titanium oxides, used commonly in the vanadia-titania SCR catalyst for catalytic NO_x reduction, promote the formation of oxidized mercury (Hg²⁺).

The work reported in this paper focuses on the impact of SCR on elemental mercury (Hg⁰) oxidation. Bench-scale experiments were conducted to investigate Hg⁰ oxidation in the presence of simulated coal combustion flue gases and under SCR reaction conditions. Flue gas mixtures with different concentrations of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) for simulating the combustion of bituminous coals and subbituminous coals were tested in these experiments. The effects of HCl and SO₂ in the flue gases on Hg⁰ oxidation under SCR reaction conditions were studied. It was observed that HCl is the most critical flue gas component that causes conversion of Hg⁰ to Hg²⁺ under SCR reaction conditions. The importance of HCl for Hg⁰ oxidation found in the present study provides the scientific basis for the apparent coal-type dependence observed for Hg⁰ oxidation occurring across the SCR reactors in the field.     

温度对改性矿物吸附剂脱除气态汞影响

以蛭石、丝光沸石、膨润土及经改性后各物质为吸附剂,N2气氛下,在固定床实验台上进行了对烟气中单质汞脱除的实验研究,主要考察了温度的改变对改性矿物吸附剂脱除气态汞的影响。研究结果显示,膨润土、蛭石对汞的吸附基本不受温度的影响;未改性的吸附剂对汞的吸附能力均比较差;温度的提高有利于改性吸附剂对单质汞的脱除,说明改性后的吸附剂的脱汞过程以化学吸附为主;真正起作用的活性组分CeO2占据了丝光沸石的大部分表面积和空隙;丝光沸石经CuO改性前后吸附能力几乎未发生变化。