Oxidation of elemental mercury using pulsed corona discharge

FUEL 39

Dong Nam Shin, jydnshin@rist.re.kr1, Dong Jun Koh1, Kyoung Tae Kim1, Kyung Bo Ko2, Youngchul Byun2, Moo Hyun Cho2, Won Namkung2, and I P Hamilton, ihamilton@wlu.ca3. (1) Environmental Research Department, Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology, San 32 Hyoja Dong, Pohang City, Kyoungbuk 790-600, South Korea, (2) School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science & Technology, San 31 Hyoja Dong, Pohang City, Kyoungbuk 790-784, South Korea, (3) Department of Chemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue, Waterloo, ON M6G 3L9, Canada
This study investigates the oxidation of gas phase elemental mercury (Hg0) by employing pulsed corona discharge (PCD). Under the composition of Hg0 (45 μg/m3), HCl (80 ppm), NO (100 ppm), SO2 (200 ppm), H2O (3%), O2 (10%) and N2 (balance) and the temperature of 90°C, an oxidative efficiency of about 70% has been achieved at an energy density of 20 J/L. However, the oxidation efficiency decreases to about 40% when NH3 (450 ppm) is introduced into the gas mixture. These results indicate that O3 and chlorinated products generated by PCD play an important role in the oxidation of gas phase Hg0, while the presence of NO, SO2 and NH3 shows an inhibitory effect on the oxidation of Hg0. These results lead us to suggest that PCD is promising as a cost-effective control process for the treatment of mercury, including NOx and SOx, as a co-benefit.
 

Mercury and Other Trace Elements in Fuel: Emissions and Control
1:25 PM-5:00 PM, Sunday, April 6, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 240/241, Oral

Division of Fuel Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008