Mercury is a naturally occurring element found in air, water, and soil. It is one of only two metals that are liquid at room temperature. Mercury is also one of the most volatile of all the heavy elements, which means Mercury can easily vaporize and be emitted into the atmosphere. There are several human sources of mercury emissions such as small scale industrial gold mining, cement manufacturing, and coal-fired power generation plants.
Since Hg is so volatile, it eventually settles into water or onto land where microorganisms can change it into methyl mercury, a highly toxic form that bio accumulates in animals, particularly fish. These animals are then eaten by humans exposing them to the effects of methyl mercury, which harms the brain, kidneys, lungs and immune system. Regulators have started to limit the amount of mercury emitted into the air from these sources. Legislation such as the Mercury Air Toxicity Standards (MATS) in the USA and the Large Combustion Plants Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) in Europe have set limits on the Hg emissions from coal fired power plants.
Johnson Matthey has several solutions for helping utilities lower they Hg emissions, such as our SCR catalyst for Hg oxidation. Additionally, Johnson Matthey offers a full assessment of the catalyst’s Hg oxidation performance as part of our standard Catalyst Evaluation and Sampling Services.