title: Preliminary estimates of performance and cost of mercury control technology applications on electric utility boilers.
abstract: Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that regulation of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants is appropriate and necessary. To aid in this determination, preliminary estimates of the performance and cost of powdered activated carbon (PAC) injection-based mercury control technologies were developed. This paper presents these estimates and develops projections of costs for future applications. Cost estimates were developed using PAC to achieve a minimum of 80% mercury removal at plants using electrostatic precipitators and a minimum of 90% removal at plants using fabric filters. These estimates ranged from 0.305 to 3.783 mills/kWh. However, the higher costs were associated with a minority of plants using hot-side electrostatic precipitators (HESPs). If these costs are excluded, the estimates range from 0.305 to 1.915 mills/kWh. Cost projections developed using a composite lime-PAC sorbent for mercury removal ranged from 0.183 to 2.270 mills/kWh, with the higher costs being associated with a minority of plants that used HESPs.
authors.affiliation: Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Sedman
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kilgroe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Renninger
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D003031:Coal; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004867:Equipment Design; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry*; D011210:Power Plants; D055672:Static Electricity
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D002244:Carbon; D008628:Mercury