Power plant mercury control options and issues

The low mercury concentrations and the large volumes of flue gas generated in utility boilers present a significant problem for developing cost-effective mercury control approaches. A variety of options, including coal cleaning, sorbent injection, and wet scrubbing are reviewed together with potential issues that need to be addressed. Other novel approaches are summarized. Current projections for control costs range from $15000 to $175000 per pound of mercury removed. Such high costs and the uncertainty in the level of mercury reduction achievable point to the need for significantly more research and development work and careful considerations when weighing the cost versus benefits of mercury control for power plants