Experimental and numerical investigation of mercury removal from flue gas by sorbent polymer composite

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation of the performance of a sorbent polymer composite (SPC) material used for removing mercury from the flue gases in a full-scale industrial installation. The investigated material is an attractive alternative to activated carbon, which is commonly used for this purpose. While the application of the SPC is characterized by high capital expenditures, this technology offers not only very low operating expenditures but also high efficiency. This study investigates the SPC's mercury reduction capabilities concerning the most important flow parameters such as gas velocity, temperature, humidity, and mercury concentration. Small scale laboratory experiment was used to tune the kinetic data of the mercury adsorption. The resulting sub-model has been built into the CFD simulations validated against measurements at an industrial installation. The results showed that the most important parameters affecting the mercury reduction efficiency were the gas velocity and mercury content in the sorbent material. Numerical simulation proved that the material absorbs mercury within the entire reasonable operating temperature and humidity ranges, regardless of mercury speciation.