Project objectives:
The project objectives are thus:
- To determine kinetic characteristics of the sorption/desorption reactions, including those at high sorbate concentrations, of different mercury species
with power station fly ash and its sub-components;
- To add to the understanding of which components of power station fly ash are responsible for mercury immobilisation and the mechanisms through which this
takes place;
- To identify, characterise and quantify the different forms of mercury that result from its interaction with power station fly ash and its sub-components;
- To assess the availability of mercury sorbed on power station fly ash to biological methylation;
- To provide fundamental kinetic data for future use in the estimation of the suitability of power station fly ash for the stabilisation and remediation of
mercury contaminated sites.
|
Project
Summary:
It is known that power station fly ash can act as a sorbent for mercury in aqueous solutions, and that it appears to bind strongly to mercury present in soil. Fly
ash itself is a multi-component system, however, composed of a glass, amorphous, crystalline and carbon phases. In addition, mercury appears in many forms,
varying significantly in their stability and the degree of threat posed to human health and the environment. The overall behaviour of the ash-mercury system
is thus extremely complex, and may involve both physical and chemical bonding, precipitation and entrapment. For fly ash to be considered as a potential remediation
material, detailed knowledge of the processes by which it removes mercury is needed.
|
Professor Paul Bardos