International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol.170, 35-40, 2017
Speciation and capture performance of mercury by a hybrid filter in a coal-fired power plant
Mercury speciation and removal were investigated for a newly developed hybrid filter (HF) originally designed to remove fine particulates and retrofitted to the exhaust cleaning system in a coal-fired power plant. The test plant used a blend of anthracite and semi-anthracite coals for combustion. At the boiler outlet, Hg-0 was the dominant mercury species in the flue gas at 89% of total Hg. After passing through the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and HF, He2+ became the dominant species owing to oxidation of Hg at the lower temperature and interaction with other air pollutants in the flue gas. The Hg2+ subsequently accumulated as Hg-p by bonding with fly ash. Due to higher oxidation of Hg in the HF than in the ESP, more Hg2+ could be removed by the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system through dissolution of Hg2+ when an HF was included. By installing hybrid filters alongside the existing devices, removal efficiencies of 86.7% and 99.3% for Hg and fine particulates, respectively, could be achieved, as opposed to 62.4% and 952% without the installation. Applying HFs in the existing air pollution control device (APCD) configuration was therefore recommended as the best simultaneous control technology for Hg and fine particulate matter (PM) at the test plant. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Hybrid filter;Mercury speciation;Fine particulate;Coal-fired power plant;Electrostatic precipitator