Reducing Mercury Pollution

摘要

Is there a role for nickel in the equipment which will be required to remove mercury from the effluent of coal-burning power plants? William L. Larsen, PE Iowa, U.S.A. The answer is yes, depending on conditions, but some background information is necessary for a full understanding of the problems encountered with mercury removal. When coal is burned, it produces particulate mercury, elemental mercury and oxidized mercury. Particulate mercury is trapped with the flyash and removed in a collector such as an electrostatic precipitator. Elemental mercury can only be removed by some type of sorbent unless it is first oxidized. Oxidized mercury can be removed by wet scrubbing.