Thursday, 30th March 2006 (4436 views)

A US Department of Energy-sponsored test project will use a gold catalyst to oxidise mercury emissions at a coal-fired power plant in Texas.

The project at La Grange, near Austin, will cost $4 million, $2.5 million of which has already been committed by the DoE.

The remaining $1.5 million will be shared between the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which owns the plant, and various other beneficiaries including Johnson Matthey, who will also provide the catalyst itself.

It is hoped that oxidising the mercury from the plant will help to reduce the related emission levels, as once the metal has been oxidised it can be disposed of cleanly with the sulphur dioxide scrubber technology that will also be installed.

According to the DoE "America's coal-fired power plants emit around 48 tons of mercury each year".

In response to this, the US Environmental Protection Agency has issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule, which will permanently cap and then reduce such emissions by 70 per cent by 2018.

The LCRA's gold catalyst Fayette Power Project at La Grange is one of 12 nationwide testing ventures that the DoE hope will achieve at least 90 per cent mercury removal at less than half the current expense.

 

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