Mercury Saturation Profile Across
the Sulphur-Impregnated Activated Carbon Bed
z. $PIRIC and M. HRASTE
Mercury is very olien removed as an impurity and environment pollutant from processing fluid gas
streams by adsorption on a fixed bed. Considering the ecological and technological problems related
to the presence of mercury in natural gas, INA~Naftaplin has erected at the gas treatment plant Molve
(Croatia) processing units that insure complete mercury removal. This chapter deals with the results
of 3 years' experience in practical field application, showing activated carbon mercury removal from
natural gas.
1
Introduction
Even in small amounts, mercury and its compounds have an extremely harmful
effect on human health (WHO 1989). Moreover, mercury corrosion dramatically
endangers processing plants and facilities. Therefore, prevention of mercury
entering into the environment and industrial processes is absolutely critical.
A frequently applied procedure to remove mercury as an impurity and
environment contaminant from processing fluid gas streams is adsorption on
a fixed bed (Ruthven 1984). The adsorbent is primarily designed to extract
elemental mercury, i.e. mercury in its vapour state. It is a special type of sulphurimpregnated activated carbon with a great adsorption capacity for mercury
vapours (Hutchins 1979). This type of activated carbon contains around 15%
elemental sulphur, distributed in a thin layer across an extremely large surface
area of porous granules of activated carbon that creates insoluble mercury
sulphide by chemical reaction with elemental mercury from natural gas.
Unfortunately, a major problem in the preparation and performance of this
investigative task, as well as in the evaluation of the results, was the lack and/or
inavailability of comparable analytical data from other authors, e.g. qualitative
and updated references from this field of research.
This chapter deals with results of more than 3 years' experience in practical
field application, showing activated carbon mercury removal from natural gas
streams.
The purpose of our research was to define mercury loading and distribution,
i.e. saturation profile in the activated carbon bed and variation in concentration
of elemental sulphur through the bed under real processing conditions.
Envirollmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
Q:J Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999
the Sulphur-Impregnated Activated Carbon Bed
z. $PIRIC and M. HRASTE
Mercury is very olien removed as an impurity and environment pollutant from processing fluid gas
streams by adsorption on a fixed bed. Considering the ecological and technological problems related
to the presence of mercury in natural gas, INA~Naftaplin has erected at the gas treatment plant Molve
(Croatia) processing units that insure complete mercury removal. This chapter deals with the results
of 3 years' experience in practical field application, showing activated carbon mercury removal from
natural gas.
1
Introduction
Even in small amounts, mercury and its compounds have an extremely harmful
effect on human health (WHO 1989). Moreover, mercury corrosion dramatically
endangers processing plants and facilities. Therefore, prevention of mercury
entering into the environment and industrial processes is absolutely critical.
A frequently applied procedure to remove mercury as an impurity and
environment contaminant from processing fluid gas streams is adsorption on
a fixed bed (Ruthven 1984). The adsorbent is primarily designed to extract
elemental mercury, i.e. mercury in its vapour state. It is a special type of sulphurimpregnated activated carbon with a great adsorption capacity for mercury
vapours (Hutchins 1979). This type of activated carbon contains around 15%
elemental sulphur, distributed in a thin layer across an extremely large surface
area of porous granules of activated carbon that creates insoluble mercury
sulphide by chemical reaction with elemental mercury from natural gas.
Unfortunately, a major problem in the preparation and performance of this
investigative task, as well as in the evaluation of the results, was the lack and/or
inavailability of comparable analytical data from other authors, e.g. qualitative
and updated references from this field of research.
This chapter deals with results of more than 3 years' experience in practical
field application, showing activated carbon mercury removal from natural gas
streams.
The purpose of our research was to define mercury loading and distribution,
i.e. saturation profile in the activated carbon bed and variation in concentration
of elemental sulphur through the bed under real processing conditions.
Envirollmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
Q:J Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999