Slipstream Tests of Palladium Sorbents for High Temperature Capture of Mercury, Arsenic, Selenium and Phosphorous from Fuel Gas

In gasification for power generation, the removal of mercury and other trace elements such as arsenic, selenium and phosphorus by sorbents at elevated temperatures preserves the high thermal efficiency of the integrated gasification combined cycle system. Unfortunately, most sorbents will display poor capacity for elemental mercury at elevated temperatures.

Palladium is an attractive sorbent candidate for the removal of mercury and the trace elements from fuel gases at elevated temperatures. The Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF) at Wilsonville, Alabama is a large-scale test facility established to develop and improve advanced coal-based technologies for power generation and chemical production. The palladium sorbents were recently tested for an extended period of time in a slipstream of fuel gas at the PSDF. These results will be described, and future testing will be discussed.