Mercury content in ash of solid fuels

Mercury emission field measurements were conducted for two types of coal from Polish mines. Total mercury content were evaluated in coal and ash on mercury analyzer atomic absorption spectrometer AMA 254. Obtained result shows that brown coal contains more mercury compared to hard coal (289 ppb and 66 ppb respectively for a polydisperse system). Mercury concentration in ashes is several times higher than for coal which means ash may be a good absorber for mercury. Also, application of oxy-fuel technology results in smaller amount of mercury absorbed in the ash which can be related to higher emission of Hg in the gaseous form.