Investigation on elemental mercury oxidation mechanism by non-thermal plasma treatment

Converting elemental mercury into divalent compound is one of the most important steps for mercury abatement from coal fired flue gas. The oxidation of elemental mercury was investigated in this paper using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology at room temperature. Effects of different flue gas components like oxygen, moisture, HCl, NO and SO₂ were investigated. Results indicate that active radicals including O, O₃ and OH all contribute to the oxidation of elemental mercury. Under the conditions of 5% O₂ in the simulated flue gas, about 90.2% of Hg⁰ was observed to be oxidized at 3.68 kV discharge voltage. The increase of discharge voltage, O₂ level and H₂O content can all improve the oxidation rate, individually. With O₂ and H₂O both existed, there is an optimal moisture level for the mercury oxidation during the NTP treatment. In this test, the observed optimal moisture level was around 0.74% by volume. Hydrogen chloride can promote the oxidation of mercury due to chlorine atoms produced in the plasma process. Both NO and SO₂ have inhibitory effects on mercury oxidation, which can be attributed to their competitive consumption of O₃ and O.     

Gas-phase elemental mercury capture by a V2O5/AC catalyst

Gas-phase elemental mercury (Hg⁰) capture by an activated coke (AC) supported V₂O₅ (V₂O₅/AC) catalyst was studied in simulated flue gas and compared with that by the AC. The study on the influences of V₂O₅ loading, temperature, capture time and flue gas components (O₂, SO₂, H₂O and N₂) shows that the Hg⁰ capture capability of V₂O₅/AC is much higher than that of AC. It increases with an increase in V₂O₅ loading and is promoted by O₂, which indicates the important role of V₂O₅ in Hg⁰ oxidation and capture; it is promoted slightly by SO₂ but inhibited by H₂O; it increases with an increase in temperature up to 150 °C when Hg desorption starts. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and sequential chemical extraction experiments indicate that the main states of Hg captured on V₂O₅/AC are HgO and HgSO₄. Temperature programmed desorption experiments were also made to understand the stability of the Hg captured.     

Photooxidative removal of Hg0 from simulated flue gas using UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation process: Influence of operational parameters

Element mercury (Hg⁰) from flue gas is difficult to remove because of its low solubility in water and high volatility. A new technology for photooxidative removal of Hg⁰ with an ultraviolet (UV)/H₂O₂ advanced oxidation process is studied in an efficient laboratory-scale bubble column reactor. Influence of several key operational parameters on Hg⁰ removal efficiency is investigated. The results show that an increase in the UV light power, H₂O₂ initial concentration or H₂O₂ solution volume will enhance Hg⁰ removal. The Hg⁰ removal is inhibited by an increase of the Hg⁰ initial concentration. The solution initial pH and pH conditioning agent have a remarkable synergistic effect. The highest Hg⁰ removal efficiencies are achieved at the UV light power of 36W, H₂O₂ initial concentration of 0.125 mol/L, Hg⁰ initial concentration of 25.3 μg/Nm³, solution initial pH of 5, H₂O₂ solution volume of 600 ml, respectively. In addition, the O₂ percentage has little effect on the Hg⁰ removal efficiency. This study is beneficial for the potential practical application of Hg⁰ removal from coal-fired flue gas with UV/H₂O₂ advanced oxidation process.     

Understanding the effects of sulfur on mercury capture from coal-fired utility flue gases

Coal combustion continues to be a major source of energy throughout the world and is the leading contributor to anthropogenic mercury emissions. Effective control of these emissions requires a good understanding of how other flue gas constituents such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃) may interfere in the removal process. Most of the current literature suggests that SO₂ hinders elemental mercury (Hg⁰) oxidation by scavenging oxidizing species such as chlorine (Cl₂) and reduces the overall efficiency of mercury capture, while there is evidence to suggest that SO₂ with oxygen (O₂) enhances Hg⁰ oxidation by promoting Cl₂ formation below 100 °C. However, studies in which SO₂ was shown to have a positive correlation with Hg⁰ oxidation in full-scale utilities indicate that these interactions may be heavily dependent on operating conditions, particularly chlorine content of the coal and temperature. While bench-scale studies explicitly targeting SO₃ are scarce, the general consensus among full-scale coal-fired utilities is that its presence in flue gas has a strong negative correlation with mercury capture efficiency. The exact reason behind this observed correlation is not completely clear, however. While SO₃ is an inevitable product of SO₂ oxidation by O₂, a reaction that hinders Hg⁰ oxidation, it readily reacts with water vapor, forms sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) at the surface of carbon, and physically blocks active sites of carbon. On the other hand, H₂SO₄ on carbon surfaces may increase mercury capacity either through the creation of oxidation sites on the carbon surface or through a direct reaction of mercury with the acid. However, neither of these beneficial impacts is expected to be of practical significance for an activated carbon injection system in a real coal-fired utility flue gas.     

Gaseous Elemental Mercury Removal Using Combined Metal Ions and Heat Activated Peroxymonosulfate/H2O2 Solutions

Several novel oxidation removal processes of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) from flue gas using combined Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ and heat activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS)/H₂O₂ solutions in a bubbling reactor were proposed. The operating parameters (e.g., PMS/H₂O₂ concentration, Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ concentration, solution pH, activation temperature, and Hg⁰/NO/SO₂/O₂/CO₂ concentration), mechanism and mass transfer-reaction kinetics of Hg⁰ removal were investigated. The results show that heat and Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ have significant synergistic effect for activating PMS and PMS/H₂O₂ to produce free radicals to oxidize Hg⁰. Hg⁰ removal is strongly affected by PMS/H₂O₂ concentration, Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ concentration, activation temperature, and solution pH. · and ·OH produced from combined heat and Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ activated PMS/H₂O₂ play a leading role in Hg⁰ removal. Under optimized experimental conditions, Hg⁰ removal efficiencies reach 100, 94.9, 66.9, and 58.9% in heat/Fe²⁺/PMS/H₂O₂, heat/Mn²⁺/PMS/H₂O₂, heat/Fe²⁺/PMS, and heat/Mn²⁺/PMS systems, respectively. Hg⁰ removal processes in four systems belong to fast reaction and were controlled by mass transfer under optimized experimental conditions. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 161–174, 2019     

Effects of NOx, α-Fe2O3, γ-Fe2O3, and HCl on mercury transformations in a 7-kW coal combustion system

Bench-scale investigations indicate that NO, NO₂, hematite (α-Fe₂O₃), maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃), and HCl promote the conversion of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg⁰) to gaseous oxidized mercury (Hg²⁺) and/or particle-associated mercury (Hg[p]) in simulated coal combustion flue gases. In this investigation, the effects of NO_x, α-Fe₂O₃, γ-Fe₂O₃, and HCl on Hg transformations were evaluated by injecting them into actual coal combustion flue gases produced from burning subbituminous Absaloka and lignitic Falkirk coals in a 7-kW down-fired cylindrical furnace. A bituminous Blacksville coal known to produce an Hg²⁺-rich combustion flue gas was also burned in the system. The American Society for Testing and Materials Method D6784-02 (Ontario Hydro method) or an online Hg analyzer equipped to measure Hg⁰ and total gaseous mercury (Hg[tot]) was used to monitor Hg speciation at the baghouse inlet (160–195 °C) and outlet (110–140 °C) locations of the system. As expected, the baseline Blacksville flue gas was composed predominantly of Hg²⁺ (Hg²⁺/Hg[tot]=0.77), whereas Absaloka and Falkirk flue gases contained primarily Hg⁰ (Hg⁰/Hg[tot]=0.84 and 0.78, respectively). Injections of NO₂ (80–190 ppmv) at 440–880 °C and α-Fe₂O₃ (15 and 6 wt.%) at 450 °C into Absaloka and Falkirk coal combustion flue gases did not significantly affect Hg speciation. The lack of Hg⁰ to Hg²⁺ conversion suggests that components of Absaloka and Falkirk combustion flue gases and/or fly ashes inhibit heterogeneous Hg⁰–NO_x–α-Fe₂O₃ reactions or that the flue gas quench rate in the 7-kW system is much different in relation to bench-scale flue gas simulators.An abundance of Hg²⁺, HCl, and γ-Fe₂O₃ in Blacksville flue gas and the inertness of injected α-Fe₂O₃ with respect to heterogeneous Hg⁰ oxidation in Absaloka and Falkirk flue gases suggested that γ-Fe₂O₃ catalyzes Hg²⁺ formation and that HCl is an important Hg⁰ reactant. The filtration of Absaloka and Falkirk combustion flue gases at 150 °C through fabric filters with ≈60 g/m² γ-Fe₂O₃ indicated that about 30% of the Hg⁰ in Absaloka and Falkirk flue gases was converted to Hg²⁺ and/or Hg(p). HCl injection (100 ppmv) into the Absaloka combustion flue gas converted most of the Hg⁰ to Hg²⁺, whereas HCl injection into the Falkirk flue gas converted most of the Hg⁰ and Hg²⁺ to Hg(p). Additions of γ-Fe₂O₃ and HCl did not have a synergistic effect on Hg⁰ oxidation. The filtration of Absaloka and Falkirk flue gases through much greater fabric filter loadings of 475 g/m² γ-Fe₂O₃ essentially doubled the baghouse Hg[tot] removal efficiency to about 50%. Results from this investigation demonstrate the importance of evaluating potential Hg⁰ reactants and oxidation catalysts in actual coal combustion flue gases.     

Removal of Hg0 from containing‐SO2/NO flue gas by ultraviolet/H2O2 process in a novel photochemical reactor

A novel photochemical spray reactor is first developed and is used to remove Hg⁰ and simultaneously remove Hg⁰/SO₂/NO from flue gas by ultraviolet (UV)/H₂O₂ process. The effects of several parameters (UV wavelength, UV power, H₂O₂ concentration, Hg⁰ inlet concentration, solution temperature, liquid–gas ratio, solution pH, SO₂ concentration, NO concentration, and O₂ concentration) on removal of Hg⁰ by UV/H₂O₂ process were investigated. Removal mechanism of Hg⁰ is proposed and simultaneous removal of Hg⁰, NO, and SO₂ is also studied. The results show that the parameters, UV wavelength, UV power, H₂O₂ concentration, liquid–gas ratio, solution pH, and O₂ concentration, have significant impact on removal of Hg⁰. However, the parameters, Hg⁰ inlet concentration, solution temperature, SO₂ concentration, and NO concentration, only have small effect on removal of Hg⁰. Hg²⁺ is the final product of Hg⁰ removal, and Hg⁰ is mainly removed by oxidations of H₂O₂, ·OH, · O, O₃, and photoexcitation of UV. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 2275–2285, 2014     

Analysis of mercury species present during coal combustion by thermal desorption

Mercury in coal and its emissions from coal-fired boilers is a topic of primary environmental concern in the United States and Europe. The predominant forms of mercury in coal-fired flue gas are elemental (Hg⁰) and oxidized (Hg²⁺, primarily as HgCl₂). Because Hg²⁺ is more condensable and far more water soluble than Hg⁰, the wide variability in mercury speciation in coal-fired flue gases undermines the total mercury removal efficiency of most mercury emission control technologies. It is important therefore to have an understanding of the behaviour of mercury during coal combustion and the mechanisms of mercury oxidation along the flue gas path. In this study, a temperature programmed decomposition technique was applied in order to acquire an understanding of the mode of decomposition of mercury species during coal combustion. A series of mercury model compounds were used for qualitative calibration. The temperature appearance range of the main mercury species can be arranged in increasing order as HgCl₂ < HgS < HgO < HgSO₄. Different fly ashes with certified and reference values for mercury concentration were used to evaluate the method. This study has shown that the thermal decomposition test is a newly developed efficient method for identifying and quantifying mercury species from coal combustion products.     

Characteristics of the mercury vapor removal from coal combustion flue gas by activated carbon using H2S

Removal of Hg⁰ vapor from the simulated coal combustion flue gases with a commercial activated carbon was investigated using H₂S. This method is based on the reaction of H₂S and Hg over the adsorbents. The Hg⁰ removal experiments were carried out in a conventional flow type packed bed reactor system in the temperature range of 80–150 °C using simulated flue gases having the composition of Hg⁰ (4.9 ppb), H₂S (0–20 ppm), SO₂ (0–487 ppm), CO₂ (10%), H₂O (0–15%), O₂ (0–5%), N₂ (balance gas). The following results were obtained: in the presence of both H₂S and SO₂, Hg removal was favored at lower temperatures (80–100 °C). At 150 °C, presence of O₂ was indispensable for Hg⁰ removal from H₂S–SO₂ flue gas system. It is suggested that the partial oxidation of H₂S with O₂ to elemental sulfur (H₂S+1/2O₂=S_ad+H₂O) and the Clause reaction (SO₂+2H₂S=3S_ad+2H₂O) may contribute to the Hg⁰ removal over activated carbon by the following reaction: S_ad+Hg=HgS. The formation of elemental sulfur on the activated carbon was confirmed by a visual observation.     

半干法脱硫灰对Hg~0的催化氧化及吸附特性

采用新型一体化脱硫工艺和循环流化床烟气脱硫工艺的脱硫灰为吸附剂,使用固定床反应器,在模拟烟气的条件下研究了两种半干法脱硫灰对汞的吸附及催化氧化特性。研究结果表明,吸附于脱硫灰表面的汞主要以Hg2+的形态存在,多数情况下,更高的汞氧化率伴随有更高的汞吸附率,HCl、Cl2、NO2在脱硫灰的催化作用下能有效氧化Hg0,且不同组分对Hg0的氧化作用可以累积,而NO和SO2抑制了脱硫灰对汞的吸附。脱硫灰中未燃尽碳和Fe2O3对脱硫灰吸附和催化氧化气态汞具有显著促进作用。汞吸附率和氧化率在使用两种脱硫灰作为吸附剂时均随温度升高先增大后减小,这是传质过程和反应速率共同作用的结果。     

Removal of elemental mercury from simulated coal-combustion flue gas using a SiO2–TiO2 nanocomposite

A novel silica–titania (SiO₂–TiO₂) nanocomposite has been developed to effectively capture elemental mercury (Hg⁰) under UV irradiation. Previous studies under room conditions showed over 99% Hg⁰ removal efficiency using this nanocomposite. In this work, the performance of the nanocomposite on Hg⁰ removal was tested in simulated coal-fired power plant flue gas, where water vapor concentration is much higher and various acid gases, such as HCl, SO₂, and NO_x, are present. Experiments were carried out in a fix-bed reactor operated at 135 °C with a baseline gas mixture containing 4% O₂, 12% CO₂, and 8% H₂O balanced with N₂. Results of Hg speciation data at the reactor outlet demonstrated that Hg⁰ was photocatalytically oxidized and captured on the nanocomposite. The removal efficiency of Hg⁰ was found to be significantly affected by the flue gas components. Increased water vapor concentration inhibited Hg⁰ capture, due to the competitive adsorption of water vapor. Both HCl and SO₂ promoted the oxidation of Hg⁰ to Hg(II), resulting in higher removal efficiencies. NO was found to have a dramatic inhibitory effect on Hg⁰ removal, very likely due to the scavenging of hydroxyl radicals by NO. The effect of NO₂ was found to be insignificant. Hg removal in flue gases simulating low rank coal combustion products was found to be less than that from high rank coals, possibly due to the higher H₂O concentration and lower HCl and SO₂ concentrations of the low rank coals. It is essential, however, to minimize the adverse effect of NO to improve the overall performance of the SiO₂–TiO₂ nanocomposite.     

Catalytic performance of CuCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>-modified V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>-WO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst for Hg<Superscript>0</Superscript> oxidation in simulated flue gas

CuCl₂-SCR catalysts prepared by an improved impregnation method were studied to evaluate the catalytic performance for gaseous elemental mercury (Hg⁰) oxidation in simulated flue gas. Hg⁰ oxidation activity of commercial SCR catalyst was significantly improved by the introduction of CuCl₂. Nitrogen adsorption, XRD, XRF and XPS were used to characterize the catalysts. The results indicated that CuCl₂ was well loaded and highly dispersed on the catalyst surface, and that CuCl₂ played an important role for Hg⁰ catalytic oxidation. The effects of individual flue gas components on Hg⁰ oxidation were also investigated over CuCl₂-SCR catalyst at 350 oC. The co-presence of NO and NH₃ remarkably inhibited Hg⁰ oxidation, while this inhibiting effect was gradually scavenged with the decrease of GHSV. Further study revealed the possibility of simultaneous removal of Hg⁰ and NO over CuCl₂-SCR catalyst in simulated flue gas. The mechanism of Hg⁰ oxidation was also investigated.     

Catalytic oxidation and capture of elemental mercury from simulated flue gas using Mn-doped titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and Mn-doped TiO₂ (Mn(x)-TiO₂) were synthesized in a sol-gel method and characterized by BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Gasphase elemental mercury (Hg⁰) oxidation and capture by the Mn-doped TiO₂ catalyst was studied in the simulated flue gas in a fixed-bed reactor. The investigation of the influence of Mn loading, flue gas components (SO₂, NO, O₂, and H₂O) showed that the Hg⁰ capture capability of Mn(x)-TiO₂ was much higher than that of pure TiO₂. The addition of Mn inhibits the grain growth of TiO₂ and improves the porous structure parameters of Mn(x)-TiO₂. Excellent Hg⁰ oxidation performance was observed with the catalyst with 10% of Mn loading ratio and 97% of Hg⁰ oxidation was achieved under the test condition (120 °C, N₂/6%O₂). The presence of O₂ and NO had positive effect on the Hg⁰ removal efficiency, while mercury capture capacity was reduced in the presence of SO₂ and H₂O. XPS spectra results reveal that the mercury is mainly present in its oxidized form (HgO) in the spent catalyst and Mn⁴⁺ doped on the surface of TiO₂ is partially converted into Mn³⁺ which indicates Mn and the lattice oxygen are involved in Hg⁰ oxidation reactions.     

Mechanism and Kinetic Study on Elemental Mercury Oxidation in Flue Gas by Ozone Injection

The mechanism and kinetics of the elemental Hg oxidation in flue gas by ozone injection are investigated in detail by using quantum chemistry, kinetic simulation and experimental research. The reaction processes, activation energies and kinetic parameters are calculated and analyzed by quantum chemistry. From the comparison of activation energies, the Hg⁰ oxidation ability of oxidizing radicals is that: NO₃>O₃>NO₂. The calculated results are in good agreement with literature experimental results. The calculated kinetic parameters are employed for kinetic simulation. The results of kinetic simulation are in good agreement with the experimental results. Results show that, the Hg⁰ oxidization increases linearly when the mole ratio of O₃/NO becomes larger or the reaction temperature becomes higher. The reaction Hg+NO₃ = NO₂+HgO is the key elemental reaction and the concentration of NO₃ is the most important factor for affecting Hg⁰ oxidation.     

TiO2-V2O5纳米纤维光催化氧化烟气中的Hg0

对静电纺丝法制备的TiO₂和TiO₂-V₂O₅纳米纤维进行光催化脱除模拟烟气中Hg⁰的研究。对纳米纤维进行了SEM、TEM、XRD、BET和UV-Vis检测。结果表明TiO₂-V₂O₅纳米纤维为锐钛矿,V₂O₅高度分散在TiO₂中。纤维直径在200 nm左右,由粒径为10 nm左右的微粒组成。掺杂V₂O₅后,纤维的吸光范围扩大,在可见光范围内的吸光度比纯TiO₂时有了很大提高。实验研究了不同光照条件、V₂O₅的掺杂量和循环次数对脱汞的影响,分析了TiO₂-V₂O₅催化脱汞的机理。当V₂O₅的质量含量为3%时,TiO₂-V₂O₅在可见光下的脱汞率可达到66%,比纯TiO₂时的7%有了显著提高;纤维的脱汞性能稳定,多次循环后紫外光和可见光下的脱汞率仍分别保持在80%和65%左右。电子的跃迁和电子、空穴的快速分离是TiO₂-V₂O₅在可见光下脱汞率提高的主要原因。     

Investigation of flue-gas treatment with O3 injection using NO and NO2 planar laser-induced fluorescence

Direct ozone (O₃) injection is a promising flue-gas treatment technology based on oxidation of NO and Hg into soluble species like NO₂, NO₃, N₂O₅, oxidized mercury, etc. These product gases are then effectively removed from the flue gases with the wet flue gas desulfurization system for SO₂. The kinetics and mixing behaviors of the oxidation process are important phenomena in development of practical applications. In this work, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of NO and NO₂ was utilized to investigate the reaction structures between a turbulent O₃ jet (dry air with 2000 ppm O₃) and a laminar co-flow of simulated flue gas (containing 200 ppm NO), prepared in co-axial tubes. The shape of the reaction zone and the NO conversion rate along with the downstream length were determined from the NO-PLIF measurements. About 62% of NO was oxidized at 15d (d, jet orifice diameter) by a 30 m/s O₃ jet with an influence width of about 6d in radius. The NO₂ PLIF results support the conclusions deduced from the NO-PLIF measurements.     

Experimental study on mercury transformation and removal in coal-fired boiler flue gases

This paper reported mercury speciation and emissions from five coal-fired power stations in China. The standard Ontario Hydro Method (OHM) was used into the flue gas mercury sampling before and after fabric filter (FF)/electrostatic precipitator (ESP) locations in these coal-fired power stations, and then various mercury speciation such as Hg⁰, Hg²⁺ and Hg^P in flue gas, was analyzed by using EPA method. The solid samples such as coal, bottom ash and ESP ash, were analyzed by DMA 80 based on EPA Method 7473. Through analysis the mercury speciation varied greatly when flue gas went through FF/ESP. Of the total mercury in flue gas, the concentration of Hg²⁺ is in the range of 0.11–14.76 μg/N m³ before FF/ESP and 0.02–21.20 μg/N m³ after FF/ESP; the concentration of Hg⁰ ranges in 1.18–33.63 μg/N m³ before FF/ESP and 0.77–13.57 μg/N m³ after FF/ESP, and that of Hg^P is in the scope of 0–12.11 μg/N m³ before FF/ESP and 0–0.54 μg/N m³ after FF/ESP. The proportion of Hg²⁺ ranges from 4.87%–50.93% before FF/ESP and 2.02%–75.55% after FF/ESP, while that of Hg⁰ is between 13.81% – 94.79% before FF/ESP and 15.69%–98% after FF/ESP, with that of Hg^P is in the range of 0%–45.13% before FF/ESP and 0%–11.03% after FF/ESP. The mercury in flue gas mainly existed in the forms of Hg⁰ and Hg²⁺. The concentrations of chlorine and sulfur in coal and flue gas influence the species of Hg that are formed in the flue gas entering air pollution control devices. The concentrations of chlorine, sulfur and mercury in coal and the compositions of fly ash had significant effects on mercury emissions.     

Cobenefit of SO3 reduction on mercury capture with activated carbon in coal flue gas

Parametric experiments were carried out to study the interactions of mercury, SO₃, and injected activated carbon (AC) in a coal flue gas stream. The levels of SO₃ vapor in flue gas were altered by individually varying flue gas temperature, moisture, or sodium fume injection in the flue gas. Meanwhile, mercury emissions with AC injection (ACI) upstream of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) were evaluated under varied SO₃ concentrations. SO₃ measurements using a condensation method indicated that low temperature, high moisture content, and sodium fume injection in flue gas shifted SO₃ partitioning from the vapor to particulate phase, subsequently improving mercury capture with ACI. 0.08 g/m³ of DARCO^® Hg-LH injection only provided approximately 20% mercury reduction across the ESP in a bituminous coal flue gas containing 28 ppm SO₃, but mercury capture was increased to 80% when the SO₃ vapor concentration was lowered less than 2 ppm. Experimental data clearly demonstrate that elevated SO₃ vapor is the key factor that impedes mercury adsorption on AC, mainly because SO₃ directly competes against mercury for the same binding sites and overwhelmingly consumes all binding sites.     

A pilot-scale TiO2 photocatalytic system for removing gas-phase elemental mercury at Hg-emitting facilities

A pilot-scale TiO₂ photocatalytic system using common household fluorescent lamps was tested at a real combustion facility for its ability to control Hg⁰ emissions. An Hg⁰ removal efficiency of greater than 90% was achieved under optimum conditions. The photocatalytic reaction units connected in series were more efficient than those connected in parallel. Acid components of the flue gas, such as NO and H₂O, exhibited significant negative effects on the Hg⁰ removal efficiency. There was no difference in Hg⁰ removal efficiency between the systems employing mono-wavelength and tri-wavelength fluorescent lamps, and the efficiency was enhanced by increasing the amount of irradiation.