(78f) Control of Hg Emissions From Coal-Fired Power Plants In China

     Mercury emissions are regarded as one of the most problematic environmental issues in the world because of their bio-accumulation within the aquatic food chain. Through bio-accumulation, mercury may result in neuron damage to humans. Coal combustion processes are found to be the main source of anthropogenic mercury emission to the atmosphere. These processes account for about 45% of the total global anthropogenic mercury emissions. Coal consumption was about 3 billion tons in China in 2009. Mercury contamination is a serious problem in China. Chinese government attaches great importance to prevention and control of mercury pollution. The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China initiated the trial of mercury pollution control in coal-fired power plants on September 2010.

     In this paper, the mercury emissions from 20 coal-fired power plants in china are investigated. Simultaneously sampling of coal, bottom ash, fly ash, FGD slurry, flue gases, and particles associated with the gas phase has been performed. Ontario-Hydro method and 30B method were used to analyze the mercury in flue gas, and the effects of the existing air pollutant control devices on mercury emission in coal-fired power plants were investigated. According to these results, some suggestions of controlling the mercury emission from the coal-fired power plants are made and submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in order to provide technical support for the Chinese government formulating strategies for the control of Hg emission in China.