D.O.E. Chooses Plans to Reduce Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants

WASHINGTON, DC - In a continued effort to promote clean coal technologies, the D.O.E. has selected twelve plans aimed at reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The projects' overall focus is on field-testing advanced post-combustion mercury control technologies that achieve at least 90 percent mercury removal with a cost reduction of 50 percent or more. Other objectives center on field-testing in specific areas of need, and bench-scale through pilot-scale testing of novel mercury control technologies.

America's coal-fired power plants emit around 48 tons of mercury each year. In March 2005, the E.P.A. issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule to permanently cap and reduce these emissions, requiring an overall average reduction of nearly 70 percent by 2018.

In anticipation of such regulations, D.O.E. initiated field testing of mercury removal technologies in 2001 through their Innovations for Existing Plants program. The new plans will build on the advances made in these earlier field tests through continued development and evaluation of new and existing mercury control technologies. The goal is to have these technologies ready for commercial demonstration by 2010.

The Energy Department will cost-share with industry partners in this collaborative effort valued at in excess of $29 million. Managed by the Office of Fossil Energy's Countrywide Energy Technology Laboratory, the work is an extension of DOE's commitment to providing the energy industry with proven tools to cost-effectively comply with environmental regulations such as the Clean Air Mercury Rule.

The selected plans are described below:

• ADA Environmental Solutions, Incorporated (Littleton, Colo.) will determine the mercury removal performance of an activated carbon injection system at Rocky Mountain Power's Hardin Generating Station, a new plant near Hardin, Mont., which will burn Powder River Basin subbituminous coal. The plan will conduct long-term field testing to assess system reliability, performance, and cost effectiveness. Reaction Engineering International will also be partnering on this project. (DOE share: $2,422,536; industry cost share: $807,510; plan duration: 30 months)
• ALSTOM Power, Incorporated (Windsor, Conn.) will conduct full-scale demonstrations of their novel sorbent technology, Mer-CureTM. The plan will assess equipment installation, overall system operation, and performance variability in mercury removal. Partners in this plan include the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center, PacifiCorp, Lower Colorado River Authority, and Consumers Energy. D.O.E. and ALSTOM Power are still in discussion regarding host utilities for this project. (DOE share: TBD; industry cost share: TBD; plan duration: 24 months)
• CONSOL Energy, Incorporated (South Park, Pa.) will evaluate the performance of the Low-Temperature Mercury Control (LTMC) process on a full-scale utility boiler at the PPL Martins Creek Station in Martins Creek, Pa., which burns bituminous coal. The LTMC process, which cools flue gas temperatures and adsorbs mercury to the carbon in the fly ash, will be examined to determine the system's mercury removal performance and assess overall impacts. Lechler, Incorporated and Martin Marietta are also partners in this project. (DOE share: $2,030,693; industry cost share: $738,000; plan duration: 22 months)
• University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (Grand Forks, N.D.) will assess the benefits of injecting a sorbent enhancement additive (SEA) to remove mercury from coal-combustion gases at 2 full-scale power stations. One host site, Kansas City Power & Light's Hawthorn Unit five near Kansas City, Mo., burns Powder River Basin subbituminous coal, while the other site, Louisville Gas & Electric's Mill Creek Unit four near Louisville, Ky., fires eastern bituminous coal. The SEA technology will be assessed alone and in combination with powdered activated carbon sorbents to determine the impacts on overall system performance. Babcock & Wilcox is also a partner in this endeavor. (DOE share: $2,217,652; university cost share: $751,550; plan duration: 28 months)
• ADA Environmental Solutions, Incorporated (Littleton, Colo.) will conduct full-scale field testing of sorbent injection for mercury control in high sulfur trioxide flue gas on a cyclone boiler configuration at the Public Service Company of New Hampshire's Merrimack Station in Bow, N.H., which burns eastern bituminous coals. The plan will evaluate the sorbent's ability to reduce mercury emissions and the impacts on overall system operability. Also partnering in this plan is Reaction Engineering International. (DOE share: $2,500,000; industry cost share: $1,805,970; plan duration: 21 months)
• Using Texas lignite coal, URS Group, Incorporated (Austin, Texas) will evaluate sorbent injection for mercury control at American Electric Power's Pirkey Power Plant in Harrison, Texas. Early efforts will examine 3 sorbents at various injection points to select one sorbent and one injection configuration for long-term evaluation of performance and system operation. Additional team members on this plan include Electric Power Research Institute, Apogee Scientific, Inc., Texas Genco, and TXU Power. (DOE share: $1,745,563; industry share: $722,755; plan duration: 24 months)
• In a separate project, URS Group, Incorporated (Austin, Texas) will utilize a gold catalyst to oxidize mercury and capture it downstream in a wet scrubber. Testing will occur at the Lower Colorado River Authority's Fayette Power Plan in La Grange, Texas, which burns Powder River Basin coal. While the focus of the testing will be the catalyst's oxidation success, the company anticipates determining catalyst quantity requirements, catalyst life, and overall capture efficiency. Additional Plan partners include Electric Power Research Institute, Johnson Matthey, Salt River Project, Southern Company, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Westar Energy. (DOE share: $2,500,000; industry cost share: $1,583,476; Plan duration: 36 months)
• Apogee Scientific, Incorporated (Englewood, Colo.) will evaluate several advanced sorbents for removing vapor-phase mercury that have minimal impact on plant operations and byproduct utilization. Testing will occur at Alabama Power's Plant Miller in Quinton, Ala., which fires subbituminous coal; Gulf Power's Plant Crist in Pensacola, Fla., which fires bituminous coal; and 3 additional host utilities still to be determined. The Plan will focus on sorbents that minimize the impact on particulate control devices and concrete production and can be recovered and reused. Additional partners include Southern Company, TXU Power, Tennessee Valley Authority, Electric Power Research Institute, URS Group, University of Illinois-Illinois State Geological Survey, Southern Research Institute, Calgon Carbon Corporation, and TDA Research, Incorporated (DOE share: $874,385; industry share: $292,197; Plan duration: 31 months)
• Breen Energy Solutions (Pittsburgh, Pa.) will conduct pilot-scale testing of a high-temperature control mechanism to increase mercury oxidation at the Babcock & Wilcox research center in Alliance, Ohio, using subbituminous and eastern bituminous coals. The company projects to demonstrate the feasibility of a low-cost device to reduce overall mercury emissions. Niksa Energy Associates will also partner on this project. (DOE share: $587,451; industry share: $146,863; Plan duration: twelve months)
• GE Energy and Environmental Research Corporation (Santa Ana, Calif.) will produce sorbents for mercury removal using coal gasification. The Plan will focus on optimizing the gasification process to maximize sorbent reactivity and minimize production costs. Tests using various coal types will be conducted at the company's Boiler Simulation Facility in Santa Ana, California (DOE share: $292,933; industry share: $73,233; Plan duration: 20 months)
• Using a variety of coals, Praxair, Incorporated (Tonawanda, N.Y.) will examine onsite generation of carbon-based sorbents that increase mercury removal and minimize the impact on fly ash used for concrete production. These pilot-scale tests will take place at Xcel Energy's Comanche Station in Pueblo, Colo., and NRG Energy's Huntley Station in Tonawanda, N.Y. Additional Plan partners include Great River Energy, Electric Power Research Institute, Apogee Scientific, Inc., and Reaction Engineering International. (DOE share: $866,259; industry share: $371,254; Plan duration: 20 months)
• Western Research Institute (Laramie, Wyo.) will evaluate its novel pre-combustion process, applying a two-stage, thermal treatment to various raw coals in an effort to remove mercury. Bench- and pilot-scale testing will occur at the company's location in Laramie, Wyo., while additional pilot-scale tests will take place at the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D. The Plan will analyze the benefits of this pre-combustion process and provide an economic study of the commercial-scale application. Additional Plan partners include Etaa Energy, Foster Wheeler Development Corporation, Washington Group International, Electric Power Research Institute, Southern Company, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, North Dakota Industrial Commission, Montana-Dakota Utilities Company, Detroit Edison, and SaskPower. (DOE share: $995,950; industry share: $459,000; Plan duration: 30 months)