Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects human and ecosystem health. In 1997 the US EPA completed a comprehensive Mercury Study Report to Congress, identifying mercury as the hazardous air pollutant of greatest potential public health concern. Recent studies indicate that about 70-85% of total anthropogenic Hg emissions are caused by combustion sources, mainly coal-fired utilities and waste incinerators. Although multi-pollutants' reductions from flue gas using different processes, e.g.; NOX, SO2, and Hg removal by Selective catalytic reduction (SCR), lime/limestone wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) and activated carbon, respectively, are efficient purification techniques, they are involved with high construction and operational cost, as well as large installation space for the complex treatment processes. WFGDs known for their high removal efficiency, reasonable cost and wide applicability, have been shown, in general, to achieve less than 70% mercury removal efficiency. We recently published several studies on NOx (and simultaneous NOx/SO2) absorption and oxidation by persulfate activated by temperature with/without Fe(II) ions and EDTA. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop an innovative and cost-effective chemical scrubber for the simultaneous removal of mercury, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide from flue gases under WFGD scrubber operating conditions using aqueous solutions of sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8). The chemistry of aqueous persulfate oxidation and the results of experiments conducted in gas-liquid contactor coupled with mass transfer and reaction engineering models to investigate the physical and chemical processes and kinetics involved in the absorption and oxidation of NOX, SO2 and Hg0 into solutions of Na2S2O8 will be discussed.References:Adewuyi, Y.G.;Khan, M.A.;Sakyi, N.Y. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2014, 53, 828.Adewuyi, Y.G.;Sakyi, N.Y. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2013, 52, 11702.Adewuyi, Y.G.;Sakyi, N.Y. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2013, 52, 14687.Khan, N.E.; Adewuyi, Y.G.  Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2010, 49, 8749.

Chemistry and the kinetics of removal of nitric oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury from flue gases by aqueouspersulfate

248th National Meeting (2014)

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