A Strategic Approach for Optimizing the Use of Titania Particles for Mercury Removal in Coal-burning Utilities

摘要

Mercury is a toxic metal whose emission control is stipulated under Title III of Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Coal-burning utilities account for approximately 40 percent of these emissions1. Sorbent injection is a promising technology for controlling mercury emissions and this method relies on available surface area for adsorption. To maximize sorbent utilization, the evolution of sorbent morphology in the combustion system is needed to be explored. There are three main objectives to this study: (1) to model the evolution of sorbent morphology, size and number concentration undergoing chemical formation, collisional growth and sintering of sorbent particles, (2) to determine the mercury capture efficiency of titania particles (TiO2) during the combustion of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal in a laboratory-scale combustion system, and (3) to determine the chemical binding mechanism between mercury and TiO2.