CEM CEM

CEM - Abstract

Abstract Title: Continuous mercury emission monitoring and the effects of cement plant operation and mitigation measures on mercury emissions
Presenter Name: Mr Felix Bartknecht
Company/Organisation: SICK AG
Country: Germany

Abstract Information :

Continuous measuring devices have been used for Mercury CEMS in waste incineration plants since the 1990s. More recently the focus has been on Mercury reduction from cement plants due to the magnitude of the total annual emissions from these facilities. The actual levels of Hg in exhaust gas whether pre-treated through specific absorption methods or through the use of traditional wet scrubber technology are very low, typically below 10 µg/m3.

In cement plants gaseous mercury can be released by burning Hg-containing fuels or by the raw materials, which evaporate mercury due to its high volatility. Thereby, different operation modes, such as direct or compound operation, can have a significant influence on the mercury concentration within the internal process cycle. Also discharging mercury-laden filter dust (dust shuttling) and the injection of adsorbents, such as activated carbon, can be used in order to control mercury emissions. In some cases, a thermal dust treatment for Mercury desorption is also used. Those so called primary and secondary abatement technologies can help to decrease the enrichment of mercury in the outer cycle of the cement production process and, thus, lower the emission values.

In this presentation we will address the technologies mentioned above to reduce mercury emissions as well as the requirements for low level monitoring of Hg according to EN 15267-3. We will discuss the requirements for accuracy, linearity, detection limit, interferences and calibration possibilities for measurement systems able to continuously measure in ranges of 0 - 10 µg/m3.

The presentation will show some actual field data from Hg CEMS systems installed in cement plants and provide some important considerations that the user should take into account when purchasing, installing and operating these systems.