Mercury oxidation phenomenon and the studies of this phenomenon have generally focused on lower temperatures, typically below 650°F. This has been based on the mercury vapor equilibrium speciation curve. The baseline extents of mercury oxidation as reported in the ICR dataset and observed during subsequent tests has shown a tremendous amount of scatter.

The objective of this project is to examine, establish and demonstrate the effect of higher temperature kinetics on mercury oxidation rates. Further, it is the objective of this project to demonstrate how the inherent mercury oxidation kinetics can be influenced to dramatically increase the mercury oxidation.

This project will establish, through pilot-scale experiments, the mechanism that imposes the data scatter evident in the baseline mercury oxidation data presented heretofore and will further demonstrate how this oxidation can be maintained at the higher rates. Parametric relationships of mercury oxidation rates with the key components of mercury kinetics will also be established.

Testing will take place at the Babcock & Wilcox Research Center in Alliance, Ohio. The Small Boiler Simulator (SBS) will be used for these demonstration tests. The SBS is a totally integrated, small-scale combustion and fuel handling facility. Major components of this facility include a test furnace and convection pass, two fuel subsystems, and back-end emissions control equipment.

This mechanism will be demonstrated primarily on subbituminous coal where the baseline mercury oxidation rates tend to be lower. Limited demonstrations on eastern bituminous coal will also be conducted to demonstrate wide applicability of this technology.

The overarching goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a low cost device to enhance the inherent mercury oxidation kinetics at higher temperatures. It is the hope of this team that this technology will become the first layer of compliance technology for mercury control, analogous to LNB/OFA for NOx control.

A secondary objective of this project is to demonstrate the in-situ generation of water-activated carbon using pulverized coal as a low cost alternative to powdered activated carbon injection systems.