Download or read book Interim Report of the Division of Air Quality to the Environmental Management Commission on the Control of Mercury Emissions from Coal fired Electric Steam Generating Units in Accordance with 15A NCAC 02D 2509 b written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Final Report of the Division of Air Quality to the Environmental Management Commission on the Control of Mercury Emissions from Coal fired Electric Steam Generating Units in Accordance with 15A NCAC 02D 2509 b written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Control of Mercury Emissions from Coal fired Electric Utility Boilers written by James D. Kilgroe and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Control of Mercury Emissions from Coal fired Electric Utility Boilers written by James D. Kilgroe and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Technical Support Document for Reducing Mercury Emissions from Coal fired Electric Generating Units written by Illinois. Bureau of Air and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Advanced Emissions Control Development Program written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: McDermott Technology, Inc. (a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox) is conducting the Advanced Emissions Control Development Project (AECDP) which is aimed at the development of practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) from coal-fired electric utility plants. The need for such controls may arise as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proceeds with implementation of requirements set forth in the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA's) of 1990. Promulgation of air toxics emissions regulations for electric utility plants could dramatically impact utilities burning coal, their industrial and residential customers, and the coal industry. AECDP project work will supply the information needed by utilities to respond to potential HAPs regulations in a timely, cost-effective, enviromnentally-sound manner which supports the continued use of the Nation's abundant reserves of coal, such as those in the State of Ohio. The development work is being carried out using the 10 MW Clean Environment Development Facility wherein air toxics emissions control strategies can be developed under controlled conditions. The specific objectives of the project are to (1) measure and understand production and partitioning of air toxics species for a variety of coals, (2) optimize the air toxics removal performance of conventional flue gas cleanup systems, (3) develop advanced air toxics emissions control concepts, (4) develop and validate air toxics emissions measurement and monitoring techniques, and (5) establish a comprehensive, self-consistent air toxics data library. This project is supported by the Department of Energy, the Ohio Coal Development Office within the Ohio Department of Development and Babcock & Wilcox. A comprehensive assessment of HAP emissions from coal-fired electric utility boilers sponsored by the Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute concluded that with the exception of selenium and mercury, the majority of trace elements are well controlled due to their association with the particulate phase of flue gas. Reflecting the current focus of the US EPA and state environmental agencies on mercury as a potential candidate for regulation, the project specifically targets the measurement and control of mercury species. This paper discusses the results of testing on the quantity and species distribution of mercury while firing Ohio high-sulfur coal to assess the mercury emissions control potential of conventional SO2 and particulate control systems. Results from recent AECDP tests are presented and two alternative mercury speciation methods are compared. The AECDP results clearly show that higher total mercury control efficiency can be achieved with a wet FGD scrubber than recently reported in the interim final US EPA report on HAP emissions from fossil-fired electric utility steam generating units.
Download or read book Mercury emissions written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science. Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air Act written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Study of Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from Electric Utility Steam Generating Units written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The State of Mercury Regulation Science and Technology written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Control of Mercury Emissions from Coal fired Electric Utility Boilers written by National Risk Management Research Laboratory (U.S.). Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Study Of Hazardous Air Pollutant and Mercury Emissions From Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Pursuant To Section 112 n Of The Clean Air Act Amendments Of 1990 Interim Report written by United States Environmental Protect Epa and published by . This book was released on 2019-07-03 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Study Of Hazardous Air Pollutant and Mercury Emissions From Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Pursuant To Section 112(n) Of The Clean Air Act Amendments Of 1990 Interim Report
Download or read book MERCURY STABILITY IN THE ENVIRONMENT written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAAs) require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether the presence of mercury and 188 other trace substances, referred to as air toxics or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), in the stack emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric utility power plants poses an unacceptable public health risk (1). The EPA's conclusions and recommendations were presented in two reports: Mercury Study Report to Congress and Study of Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from Electric Utility Steam Generating Units-Final Report to Congress. The first congressional report addressed both human health and the environmental effects of anthropogenic mercury emissions, while the second report addressed the risk to public health posed by emissions of HAPs from steam electricity-generating units. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is also required by the CAAAs to investigate mercury and determine a safe threshold level of exposure. Recently the National Academy of Sciences has also been commissioned by Congress to complete a report, based the available scientific evidence, regarding safe threshold levels of mercury exposure. Although the EPA reports did not state that mercury controls on coal-fired electric power stations should be required given the current state of the art, they did indicate that EPA views mercury as a potential threat to human health. It is likely that major sources of mercury emissions, including fossil-fired combustion systems, will be controlled at some point. In fact, municipal waste combustion units are already regulated. In anticipation of additional control measures, much research has been done (and continues) regarding the development of control technologies for mercury emitted from stationary sources to the atmosphere. Most approaches taken to date involve sorbent injection technologies or improve upon removal of mercury using existing technologies such as flue gas desulfurization scrubbers, fabric filters, and electrostatic precipitators. Depending on the fly ash chemistry and the form of mercury present in the flue gas, some of these existing technologies can be effective at capturing vapor-phase mercury from the flue gas stream. Although much research has been done on enhancing the removal of mercury from flue gas streams, little research has focused on what happens to the mercury when it is captured and converted and/or transferred to a solid or aqueous solution. The stability (or mobility) of mercury in this final process is critical and leads to the questions, What impact will the increased concentration of mercury have on utilization, disposal, and reuse? and Is the mercury removed from the flue gas really removed from the environment or rereleased at a later point? To help answer these questions, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Base Cooperative Agreement did a series of experiments using thermal desorption and leaching techniques. This report presents the results from these tests.
Download or read book Emissions Monitoring and Control of Mercury from Subbituminous Coal Fired Power Plants written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Subbituminous Energy Coalition (SEC) identified a need to re-test stack gas emissions from power plants that burn subbituminous coal relative to compliance with the EPA mercury control regulations for coal-fired plants. In addition, the SEC has also identified the specialized monitoring needs associated with mercury continuous emissions monitors (CEM). The overall objectives of the program were to develop and demonstrate solutions for the unique emission characteristics found when burning subbituminous coals. The program was executed in two phases; Phase I of the project covered mercury emission testing programs at ten subbituminous coal-fired plants. Phase II compared the performance of continuous emission monitors for mercury at subbituminous coal-fired power plants and is reported separately. Western Research Institute and a number of SEC members have partnered with Eta Energy and Air Pollution Testing to assess the Phase I objective. Results of the mercury (Hg) source sampling at ten power plants burning subbituminous coal concluded Hg emissions measurements from Powder River Basin (PBR) coal-fired units showed large variations during both ICR and SEC testing. Mercury captures across the Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) present much more reliable numbers (i.e., the mercury captures across the APCDs are positive numbers as one would expect compared to negative removal across the APCDs for the ICR data). Three of the seven units tested in the SEC study had previously shown negative removals in the ICR testing. The average emission rate is 6.08 lb/TBtu for seven ICR units compared to 5.18 lb/TBtu for ten units in the SEC testing. Out of the ten (10) SEC units, Nelson Dewey Unit 1, burned a subbituminous coal and petcoke blend thus lowering the total emission rate by generating less elemental mercury. The major difference between the ICR and SEC data is in the APCD performance and the mercury closure around the APCD. The average mercury removal values across the APCDs are 2.1% and 39.4% with standard deviations (STDs) of 1990 and 75%, respectively for the ICR and SEC tests. This clearly demonstrates that variability is an issue irrespective of using 'similar' fuels at the plants and the same source sampling team measuring the species. The study also concluded that elemental mercury is the main Hg specie that needs to be controlled. 2004 technologies such as activated carbon injection (ACI) may capture up to 60% with double digit lb/MMacf addition of sorbent. PRB coal-fired units have an Hg input of 7-15 lb/TBtu; hence, these units must operate at over 60% mercury efficiency in order to bring the emission level below 5.8 lb/TBtu. This was non-achievable with the best technology available as of 2004. Other key findings include: (1) Conventional particulate collectors, such as Cold-side Electro-Static Precipitators (CESPs), Hot-side Electro-Static Precipitator (HESP), and Fabric Filter (FF) remove nearly all of the particulate bound mercury; (2) CESPs perform better highlighting the flue gas temperature effect on the mercury removal. Impact of speciation with flue gas cooling is apparent; (3) SDA's do not help in enhancing adsorption of mercury vapor species; and (4) Due to consistently low chlorine values in fuels, it was not possible to analyze the impact of chlorine. In summary, it is difficult to predict the speciation at two plants that burn the same fuel. Non-fuel issues, such as flue gas cooling, impact the speciation and consequently mercury capture potential.
Download or read book Additional Analyses of Mercury Emissions Needed Before EPA Finalizes Rules for Coal Fired Electric Utilities written by Rick Beusse and published by . This book was released on 2005-04-01 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviews EPA's development of its proposed rule for controlling mercury emissions (ME) from coal-fired electric utilities. Coal-fired electric utilities represent the largest source of airborne ME in the U.S. Once airborne, mercury can be deposited into water, where it bio-accumulates in fish & animals at the top of the food chain. Human consumption of fish is the primary method of exposure to mercury, which has been shown to cause neurological & fetal developmental problems. On Jan. 30, 2004, EPA proposed rules for regulating ME from coal-fired steam generating electric utility units. EPA proposed two options for controlling ME, one a control technology standard with emission limits & the other a performance based cap-&-trade approach.
Download or read book Mercury Emissions from Electric Power Plants written by James E. McCarthy (Specialist in environmental policy) and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: EPA studies conclude that at least 7.8% of American women have blood mercury levels sufficient to increase the risk of adverse health effects (especially lower IQs) in children they might bear. Thus, there was great interest in the agencys March 15, 2005, announcement that it was finalizing new regulations to control mercury (Hg) emissions from coal-fired electric power plants -- power plants account for 42% of total U.S. mercury emissions, according to EPA. In announcing the regulations, however, EPA stated that most mercury in the atmosphere comes from non-U.S. global sources. Thus, even if regulations could reduce power plant mercury emissions to zero, the agency concluded, there would be little change in the mercury health effects it has identified. Instead of more stringent requirements, EPA promulgated "cap-and-trade" standards that rely heavily on cobenefits from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide controls installed under a separate agency rule, the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). This approach minimizes costs for electric utilities: by 2015, less than 1% of coal-fired power plants will have installed equipment specifically designed to control mercury, according to EPA. By 2020, only 4% of plants will have such equipment. Ten states have filed suit to overturn the agency s action, arguing that EPA is required by the Clean Air Act to impose more stringent Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards at each individual plant. Beginning in 2010, the cap-and-trade standards limit total power plant mercury emissions to 38 tons annually (a 21% reduction vs. 1999 levels). A second phase caps annual emissions at 15 tons, starting in 2018. According to the agency, trading and banking of emission allowances will result in lower than required emissions in the early years, but will delay achievement of the 15-ton cap to at least 2025. Thus, the net effect of the rule appears to be to postpone until the 2020s direct regulation of mercury (except as a co-benefit achieved from regulating other pollutants). EPA has sent contradictory signals regarding the importance of controlling mercury emissions. Its January 2004 analysis of the proposed rule estimated that the indirect benefits of more stringent regulations ($15 billion annually) would outweigh compliance costs by a factor of at least 16 to 1. Direct benefits (although unquantifiable) were said to be "large enough to justify substantial investment in Hg control." The analysis of the final rule, by contrast, concludes that quantifiable direct and indirect benefits of mercury control are just $43 million per year, with annual costs as high as $896 million. EPA s calculations did not include consideration of an academic study that it had funded, a factor contributing to the calculation of smaller benefits. This decision was one of several irregularities in the regulatory process alleged by the agency's Inspector General, GAO, and critics of the rule. In addition to EPAs regulatory effort, five bills that would regulate these emissions have been introduced so far in the 109th Congress, with more expected. S. 131, the Clear Skies Act, has many points in common with the EPA regulatory approach. This report will be updated.
Download or read book Mercury Emissions to the Air written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On December 15, 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed standards for emissions of mercury from coal-fired electric power plants, under the authority of Sections 111 and 112 of the Clean Air Act. (The proposal appeared in the Federal Register January 30, 2004.) In their first phase, the standards could require a 29% reduction in emissions by 2008 or 2010, depending on the regulatory option chosen. A nearly 70% reduction would take effect in 2018, although EPA indicates that flexibility built into the proposed standards could delay the full 70% reduction to as late as 2030. EPA's analysis of the proposed rule indicates that its benefits would outweigh the compliance costs by a factor of at least 16 to 1, leading many critics of the proposal to ask why the regulations should not be more stringent, or implemented more quickly. The Agency's official position is that technology will not be available to achieve reductions greater than 30% until after 2010. EPA's own Office of Research and Development (ORD) appears to disagree, however. A recent ORD white paper found that reductions of 72% - 98%, depending on coal type, are already being achieved at some plants using current technology. Other issues likely to be raised in the public comment period, which extends until June 29, include the impacts on eastern coal production and the effect of the proposals on mercury "hot spots." In addition to EPA's regulatory effort, in the current Congress nine bills have been introduced to regulate these emissions. An Administration bill, the "Clear Skies Act," has many points in common with the EPA regulatory proposal. The other bills before Congress are generally more stringent than the Administration's approach. These regulatory and legislative proposals reflect increasing concern over the potential health effects of mercury emissions. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect human health at very low concentrations. EPA considers children born to women with umbilical cord blood-mercury concentrations above 5.8 parts per billion to be at increased risk for adverse health effects, such as delayed development, neurological defects, and mental retardation. Recent EPA studies conclude that at least 7.8% (and possibly as many as 15.7%) of American women of child-bearing age have blood mercury levels above this threshold. U.S. air emissions of mercury come from eight principal sources. Of these, the largest source, and the last major source for which emission standards have been proposed, is coal-fired electric power plants. Coal-fired power plants account for between one-third and one-half of total U.S. mercury emissions. This report provides background on mercury and reviews regulatory and legislative proposals to reduce emissions of mercury to the air. CRS Report RL32203 and CRS Report RL31908 discuss legal issues raised by EPA's proposed rules and mercury in products and waste, respectively. This report will be updated as warranted.
