Economic evaluation of mercury removal from flue gas by recyclable CuCl2 modified magnetospheres catalyst for 1000 MW coal-fired power plant

Abstract

Economic sustainability is one of the main factors restricting development of mercury pollution control technology in the flue gas. Renewable magnetospheres separated from fly ash can be used as adsorbent for mercury removal from coal-fired flue gas. Based on the actual working condition of the 1000 WM coal-fired unit, this paper analyzes the impact of magnetosphere and mercury recovery technology on the economic benefits of this technology. The results show that the recovery of magnetospheres and mercury can obtain higher economic returns. This not only can realize the deduction of operating costs, but also has certain economic investment potential. When the magnetic separation rate is greater than 6% and the selling price of the magnetosphere is greater than 720 CNY/t, the revenue of the magnetosphere recovery system can offset the operating cost of whole system. The internal rate of return of the system can reach 50% at most. When the selling price of mercury selenide is lower than 450 CNY/g, the single mercury recovery income is insufficient to offset the mercury removal cost. Within the selling price range of 450–500 CNY/g mercury selenide, the system can generate revenue, and the product qualification rate directly affects the profit and loss of the system. The coupling of magnetospheres and mercury recovery systems can make economic and technical parameters more moderate. When the selling price of magnetospheres is higher than 600 CNY/t, the magnetic separation rate is higher than 6%, and the selling price of mercury selenide is higher than 350 CNY/g, the internal return of the system will fluctuate within 13%∼120%, and the static investment recovery period will remain within 6 years. Overall, this study can provide economic guidance for mercury removal technology with renewable magnetospheres and provide data support for further commercialization of technology.

Keywords

• Mercury removal
• Magnetosphere
• Economic benefits