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Flue Gas
Electric utilities across the country are coming under increasing pressure at the federal, state, and local level to strictly control the amount of mercury released into the environment. Many utilities have little data concerning their emission rates and much of that is inaccurate due to outdated methods. Compliance with current and pending regulations requires accurate, reliable, and cost-effective assessments of mercury emissions.
 
TOTAL VAPOR PHASE MERCURY - APPENDIX K
To provide our clients with accurate data that complies with EPA Clean Air Mercury Rule 40 CFR Part 75 Appendix K, FGS utilizes a specially designed dry sorbent trap to collect mercury emissions from flue gas streams. FGS was responsible for developing the FSTM traps required by Appendix K and was a primary contributor to the methods that preceded it.
 
The trap collects all available vapor phase mercury, elemental and oxidized forms, when inserted into a combustion flue gas stream and a measured amount of gas is pulled through it. The traps are then analyzed using FGS-coauthored EPA Method 1631 Revision E, using Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry. Mercury concentrations are determined on a mass basis (ug/m3) and then combined with flue gas flow data (m3/min) to calculate the continuous mass emission rate of total vapor phase mercury.
 
This technique is superior to others because it requires minimal training for plant staff, can be used for short-term or continuous sampling, utilizes routine field quality control, and maintains a fast turn-around-time for results. This method provides Environmental Managers with a fast, accurate, and affordable way to quickly and comprehensively evaluate emission rates and test the effectiveness of pollution control strategies.
 
SPECIATION OF MERCURY IN EMISSIONS
FGS Flue-gas Adsorbent Mercury Speciation (FAMS) Method utilizes a specially designed multiple-stage dry sorbent trap to collect three mercury species from emissions in flue gas streams. The technique selectively and sequentially captures particulate mercury (Hgp), gaseous oxidized mercury (Hg2+), and gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) on separate sections of the traps.
 
This method is superior to other techniques because it delivers three samples of different mercury species in one continuous grab. This method provides Environmental Managers with a fast, accurate, and affordable way to measure and understand the behavior of mercury present in emissions in order to determine the best control strategy.
 
The traps collect all three species of mercury (Hgp, Hg2+, Hg0) when inserted into a combustion flue gas steam and a measured amount of gas is pulled through it. The temperature of the trap is maintained at 95°C ± 5° during sampling to prevent water condensation. The mercury (Hg0) sorbed onto the chemically impregnated carbon, and the mercury (Hgp) on the glass wool plug are leached out in the laboratory using hot-refluxing HNO3/H2SO4 and then oxidized with BrCl. The mercury (Hg2+) sorbed onto the KCl is dissolved in BrCl. Aliquots of all three digests are then analyzed using EPA Method 1631 Revision E, using Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (CVAFS).
 
Contact FGS today to learn more about these innovative methods.