Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Mercury in Alternative Fuels
EPA Grant Number: R827649C021Subproject: this is subproject number 021 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R827649
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for Air Toxic Metals® (CATM®)
Center Director: Groenewold, Gerald
Title: Mercury in Alternative Fuels
Investigators: Pavlish, John H. , Benson, Steven A. , Galbreath, Kevin C. , Timpe, Ronald C. , Zygarlicke, Christopher J. , Hassett, David J. , Holmes, Michael J. , Miller, Stanley J. , Laudal, Dennis L. , Olson, Edwin S. , Thompson, Jeffrey S. , Heebink, Loreal V. , Ralston, Nicholas V.C. , Mibeck, Blaise , Kong, Lingbu
Institution: University of North Dakota
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: October 15, 1999 through October 14, 2004
RFA: Center for Air Toxic Metals (CATM) (1998) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Targeted Research
Objective:
The objective of this research project was to address air toxic trace element emissions, which have become a matter of worldwide concern as well as a regulatory issue in the United States. The specific objective of this research project was to develop and disseminate critical information on air toxic metal compounds to support development and implementation of pollution prevention and control strategies that will reduce effectively air toxic metal emissions and releases to the environment.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Published data have been reviewed and selected analyses performed to guide possible future research by the Center for Air Toxic Metals on mercury in crude oil and alternative fuels. Limited data in the literature suggest that mercury concentrations in crude oils vary widely from below analytical detection limits to ppm levels, with most in the single-digit ppb range. Mercury concentrations in refined petroleum products are very low. Values for crude oil typically are lower than for coal, where the Information Collection Request reported average mercury concentrations for the major coal types ranging from 49 to 126 ppb. The literature, however, does indicate that there are regions with very high concentrations of mercury ranging up to thousands of ppb, suggesting that there are mercury hot spots in certain oil fields around the world. Because the United States imports two-thirds of its oil, there is potential for significant mercury emissions in the United States from petroleum refining. Additional effort is needed to document mercury concentrations in crude oil from domestic and imported sources.
To assess alternative fuels, 13 biomass samples from North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, within 50 miles of a power plant, were collected and analyzed for mercury. In general, mercury levels in biomass are relatively low, but higher values up to 71 ppb have been observed for leaf and tree needle litter and cattails. Limited data in the literature indicate significant levels of mercury in oil sands and oil shale.
Supplemental Keywords:
air, air quality, analysis, control, emissions, environment, hazardous, measurement, mercury, metals, modeling, pollutants, pollution, sampling, species, toxic, transformations,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Toxics, Chemical Engineering, air toxics, Environmental Chemistry, HAPS, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, Environmental Engineering, 33/50, Incineration/Combustion, mercury free alternative fuels, mercury , mercury, cold vapor atomic absorption, sampling tools, mercury speciation, mercury speciation and sampling, speciation tools, Mercury CompoundsRelevant Websites:
http://www.undeerc.org Exit
http://www.undeerc.org/catm/index.html Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R827649 Center for Air Toxic Metals® (CATM®) Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R827649C001 Development And Demonstration Of Trace Metals Database
R827649C002 Nickel Speciation Of Residual Oil Ash
R827649C003 Atmospheric Deposition: Air Toxics At Lake Superior
R827649C004 Novel Approaches For Prevention And Control For Trace Metals
R827649C005 Wet Scrubber System
R827649C006 Technology Commercialization And Education
R827649C007 Development Of Speciation And Sampling Tools For Mercury In Flue Gas
R827649C008 Process Impacts On Trace Element Speciation
R827649C009 Mercury Transformations in Coal Combustion Flue Gas
R827649C010 Nickel, Chromium, and Arsenic Speciation of Ambient Particulate Matter in the Vicinity of an Oil-Fired Utility Boiler
R827649C011 Transition Metal Speciation of Fossil Fuel Combustion Flue Gases
R827649C012 Fundamental Study of the Impact of SCR on Mercury Speciation
R827649C013 Development of Mercury Sampling and Analytical Techniques
R827649C014 Longer-Term Testing of Continuous Mercury Monitors
R827649C015 Long-Term Mercury Monitoring at North Dakota Power Plants
R827649C016 Development of a Laser Absorption Continuous Mercury Monitor
R827649C017 Development of Mercury Control Technologies
R827649C018 Developing SCR Technology Options for Mercury Oxidation in Western Fuels
R827649C019 Modeling Mercury Speciation in Coal Combustion Systems
R827649C020 Stability of Mercury in Coal Combustion By-Products and Sorbents
R827649C021 Mercury in Alternative Fuels
R827649C022 Studies of Mercury Metabolism and Selenium Physiology
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.