Mercury control technologies for coal combustion and gasification systems

Development and testing of mercury control technologies have largely focused on coal-fired combustion systems, with less emphasis on advanced power systems. Mercury control is influenced by coal properties and chemistry, plant configuration, pollution control devices, flue gas conditions, and plant operations, which differ between combustion and gasification systems. Sorbents such as treated activated carbons have shown promising results in low-temperature environments; however, elevated temperature and reducing environments of many advanced systems remain challenging, requiring research and development to obtain acceptable mercury control levels. Concurrent pollutant/multipollutant control strategies that include CO2 control are critically needed for both conventional and advanced power systems.