Energy & Environmental Research Center
University of North Dakota
P.O. Box 9018
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9018
Phone: (701) 777-5000
Fax: (701) 777-5181
Web: http://www.eerc.und.nodak.edu
For More Information Contact:
Dennis Laudal, EERC research manager, at
(701)777-5138 or [email protected]
Patrick Miller, EERC communications coordinator,
at (701) 777-5113 or [email protected]
News Release
JANUARY 14, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
--------------------------------------------------
EERC Leads Research Effort to Measure
Mercury Emissions from Power Plants
-------------------------------------------------
GRAND FORKS, N.D. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is now determining whether
mercury emissions should be regulated under the
1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
If the decision is made to regulate mercury
emissions from electric power plants, what's the
best way to control the emissions? Do methods
exist to accurately measure the type and amount of
mercury in exhaust gases emitted from power
plants?
Research at the University of North Dakota
Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is
seeking solutions to these questions. In a
project funded by the Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE), the EERC has taken the lead in developing
more accurate and reliable methods to measure
trace amounts of mercury in power plant emissions.
"This is a high-visibility project," says Tom
Brown, a manager in DOE's air toxics control
program at the Federal Energy Technology Center
(FETC) facility in Pittsburgh. "The EERC has taken
the lead role in the measurement of different
mercury forms, which is one of the most intense
efforts in the country, if not the world. The
EERC is recognized as a leader in this research
field."
The problem as defined by Dennis Laudal, an EERC
research manager heading the project, is that when
coal is burned in a power plant, trace amounts of
mercury in the coal break down into different
forms or "species," becoming either elemental
mercury or oxidized mercury. Laudal says oxidized
mercury is soluble in water and its transport in
the atmosphere is limited. In addition, he says
many pollution control systems currently in use
will remove it.
However, elemental mercury doesn't dissolve in
water and can remain suspended in the atmosphere
for up to two years. Therefore, it can be
deposited almost anywhere in the world. When
elemental mercury naturally transforms to
methylmercury, it may accumulate in fish
populations, leading to high mercury
concentrations.
The EERC's mercury research project has focused
on the EPA's standard method for measuring mercury
in power plant emissions. Known as Method 29, the
EERC's research has shown that this method, under
certain conditions, is inaccurate in measuring
mercury in its different forms. This has led the
EERC to study other methods of measuring mercury
emissions. Laudal says the EERC's research has
resulted in improvements to these methods that are
being standardized to increase the accuracy and
reliability of mercury measurements.
"The EERC's work has helped to define the
problem and is assisting in developing new and
better methods for distinguishing the forms of
mercury," Brown says. "This work is crucial
because we must be certain that we have an
accurate, reliable method that can measure both
oxidized and elemental mercury. These methods are
needed to assess the potential impact of mercury
emissions on the environment and, if needed, the
development of cost-effective control technologies
and strategies for coal-fired utilities."
- 30 -
RSS