SBIR Phase I: Nanostructured Sorbent for Hg Removal from Scrubber Water to Below 10 ppt

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This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on theevaluation and optimization of a promising sorbent, Silica-Titania Composites(STC), for mercury removal from coal-fired power plant scrubber water tobelow 10 ppt. Coal-fired power plants are a predominant mercury emitter ingases and liquids. There are no commercial technologies for mercury removalfrom scrubber water to levels anticipated under future regulations (i.e., 1 to10 ppt). Sol-gel Solutions, LLC (Sol-gel) has obtained mercury concentrationsbelow 1.3 ppt when evaluating the STC for mercury removal from a mixedwastewater from a coal-fired power plant. These levels would comply with theGreat Lakes Initiative, a strict criterion that will be enforced in parts ofthe U.S. in 2010. The objective for the proposed project is to optimize thetechnology for mercury removal from scrubber water from several coal-firedpower plants, with the ultimate goal of designing a commercial system. It isexpected that the STC will effectively remove mercury to below 10 ppt, withthe potential of being recovered and reused.The broader impacts of this research are the protection of humans andwildlife from exposure to mercury. In humans, this exposure may impairneurological development, particularly in fetuses and during early childhood.A key element of the proposed work will be the promotion of interest inscience and engineering via dissemination of the learnings from the proposedwork and related fundamental science to high school and community collegestudents, among others, via a targeted "webinar" and newsletter.