Re: Mercury in coal airborne impacts

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

The problem with mercury is that it is a very volatile metal.  Most of
it goes out the stack in a gaseous form.

Ruth wrote:

> If the Hg is 1 ppm by weight, and the coal is 10% ash, and
> assuming all the Hg in ash goes into fly ash -- a bad assumption -- the Hg
> emitted would be
> 
> 6E6 tons coal/yr * 160 lb ash/ton coal * 1E-6 lb Hg/lb ash = 960 lb Hg/year
> 
> or about half a ton.  Now, since uranium (that I happen to know about)
> partitions 75% in bottom ash, 25% in fly ash, I would assume conservatively
> that mercury would at least partition 50/50, so an uncontrolled plant would
> emit about 1 quarter ton per year.

-- 
==================================================
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 S Illinois Ave, Ste 208, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone (865) 483-1333; Fax (865) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net 
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