MercuRemoval's Technology Demonstrates Unparalleled Success in Mercury Removal From Flue Gas Emissions

NETANYA, Israel, February 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

MercuRemoval, developer of gas treatment solutions, today announced successful results of a trial in which its innovative technology demonstrated dramatically high efficiency in removing mercury from flue gas emission, with mercury absorption and removal rate reaching 98%. The trials are conducted in collaboration with Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). The technology was developed by Professor Yoel Sasson and Dr. Zach Barnea, both from the Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was licensed under an exclusive worldwide agreement from Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University.  

MercuRemoval's novel patented technology is an absorption process based on a unique absorbent liquid implemented in a widely used pollution control engineering device, known as a wet scrubber. Flue gas stream enters the scrubber in which a complex of ionic liquid and oxidizing agent is circulated. The mercury is oxidized and forms a stable complex in the liquid. The liquid is then regenerated through a simple process in which the metallic mercury swiftly precipitates from the solution and can be quantitatively separated and collected, while the absorbent liquid is regenerated and reused in the process. The system removes all mercury forms, including elemental mercury. This is a simple regeneration and mercury separation process. The system, which can be custom-made and installed as a retrofit, is a scalable solution and therefore applicable to a variety of industries, plants and processes emitting mercury.

The trials are taking place at the "Rutenberg" power plant near Ashkelon, Israel, and are supported by IEC through its R&D commission. Due to the clean coals used at the power plant and for the purpose of the experiments mercury concentration in the flue gases was enriched via spiking.

"We are very pleased with the successful results and the exceptional mercury absorption and removal rate we achieved, which is extraordinary compared to other existing technologies," stated Hagay Keller, CEO, MercuRemoval. "Our system offers not only superior efficiency, but also significant environmental and financial benefits. It is a closed and controlled system, which is fully regenerative and besides the separated mercury there are no other contaminated by-products for disposal. In addition, our solution dramatically reduces operational costs compared to other commonly used solutions. We are now in the process of targeting and evaluating potential global strategic partners in various markets and segments. We look forward to initiating additional collaborations and to begin initial commercial sales throughout 2017 and 2018. In parallel, we are also seeking to raise additional funding to support our R&D and commercialization efforts."

"IEC meets the required stringent standards for mercury emissions from flue gases in its power stations. However, we are committed to supporting development of innovative solutions for environmental causes," said Ron Weiss, Vice President of Engineering Projects and Business Development, IEC. "We are impressed by MercuRemoval's system and believe that through supporting and validating such technologies we can contribute to the global effort of reducing worldwide pollution emissions."

About Mercury Pollution  

Mercury (Hg) is a lethal pollutant, highly toxic to humans, contaminating the aquatic food chain, which is a food source for billions. Mercury is emitted into the atmosphere by polluting flue gases of numerous industries. It is transported in nature's water cycle and converts into highly toxic methylmercury, which bio-accumulates in the food chain, mainly of fish. The global move towards pollution emission control and the international awareness to the problem and risks of mercury have led environmental protection agencies worldwide to introduce stringent regulations and standards limiting mercury emissions. Emitting industries and processes are therefore required to reduce or even cut-out emission entirely. Mercury control technologies commonly applied are based on combinations of activated carbon injection (ACI), filters and chemical additives. These technologies suffer from major drawbacks, including limited and variable efficiency, extensive investment and on-going operational expenses CAPEX/OPEX and contaminated by-products that need to be recycled or disposed.

About MercuRemoval 

MercuRemoval Ltd. develops gas treatment solutions. Its breakthrough system for the removal of mercury from gas streams is based on a novel technology that is protected by patents in the US, various EU countries and China. The Company was founded in 2015 within Hutchison Kinrot, a leading environmental technology seed investor, owned by Hutchison Water of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. MercuRemoval has recently received additional funding from Israel's Innovation Authority under the Incubators Program.

Media Contact:
Tsipi Haitovsky
Global Media Liaison
MercuRemoval Ltd.
Tel: +972-52-598-9892
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE MercuRemoval Ltd.