(33e) Mercury Capture from Coal-Fired Power Plant Flue Gas Using Zeolite Based Sorbent Polymer Composite (SPC) Materials

The recently implemented Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) regulation requires that coal-fired power plants in the US achieve very low mercury emissions. Similar regulations are about to be implemented in the EU and several Asian countries. To address this issue several technologies are developed and implemented (i.e. activated carbon injection, use of chemical additives etc.). W.L. Gore & Associates developed an innovative technology, called the GOREâ„¢ Mercury Control System (GMCS) [1], for capturing gas phase mercury from industrial flue gas. The GMCS is a unique fixed sorbent system that also provides SO₂ removal as a co-benefit. It is based on discrete stackable modules comprised of Sorbent Polymer Composite (SPC) materials with an open channel geometry. The SPC effectively chemisorbs both elemental and oxidized mercury from the gas phase. At the same time, part of the SO₂ present in the flue gas is converted to sulfuric acid, which is expelled from the material due to the hydrophobic nature of the SPC material. Corrosion-resistant materials of construction are utilized due to the sulfuric acid generated in the process.

In this talk, the mercury capture technology based on the GMCS will initially be presented and its main features and full scale performance will be highlighted. The second part of the talk will place emphasis on our recent efforts exploring the use of modified zeolites as sorbents in the SPC material. Some zeolites do not catalyze SO₂ conversion to sulfuric acid, which could lead to advantages in certain applications for the GMCS. The evaluation of zeolite powders and zeolite based SPC composites in the lab will be presented and discussed.

References

[1] https://www.gore.com/products/gore-mercury-control-systems