The application of regenerable sorbents for mercury capture in gas phase

Mercury is a well-known toxic element, and flue gas streams emitted from coal-fired utilities are one of the largest anthropogenic sources of this element. This study briefly reviews the proposed technologies for reducing mercury emissions from coal combustion, focusing on an emerging process which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science and pollution research international 2016-12, Vol.23 (24), p.24495-24503
Main Authors: Lopez-Anton, M. Antonia, Fernández-Miranda, Nuria, Martínez-Tarazona, M. Rosa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Air Pollutants - chemistry
Air pollution
Anthropogenic factors
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Coal
Coal - analysis
Coal-fired power plants
Combustion
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Emissions
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Health
Environmental science
Flue gas
Gases
Gases - chemistry
Global pollution problems
Heavy metals
Industrial plant emissions
Mercury
Mercury - chemistry
Metal oxides
Metals
Pollutants
Power Plants
Sorbents
Studies
Trends in Detection and Protection
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Zeolites
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Summary:Mercury is a well-known toxic element, and flue gas streams emitted from coal-fired utilities are one of the largest anthropogenic sources of this element. This study briefly reviews the proposed technologies for reducing mercury emissions from coal combustion, focusing on an emerging process which involves the use of regenerable sorbents and especially those loaded with noble metals. Among the mercury species formed during coal combustion, elemental mercury is the most difficult to remove from the flue gases due to its low reactivity and insolubility in water. The widespread interest in using regenerable sorbents with metals is due to their ability to retain elemental mercury. With this technology, not only can efficiencies of 100 % be reached in the retention of elemental mercury but also a way to avoid the generation of new wastes loaded with mercury. This study considers the main aspects that must be taken into account when developing effective regenerable sorbents for mercury capture, with special attention to sorbents containing noble metals. The characteristics of this process are compared with those of other processes in a more advanced state of development.
ISSN:0944-1344
1614-7499
DOI:10.1007/s11356-016-7534-z