Non-Regenerative Mercury Removal
In non-regenerative mercury removal, the process fluid flows continuously through the bed of
mercury sorbent for a number of years. When mercury is detected in the effluent, or when the pressure
drop becomes excessive, the sorbent needs to be replaced. A number of different mercury removal
sorbents are available with various tolerances to operating temperature, liquid hydrocarbons, and liquid
water. This operation is simple since no regeneration equipment and special valving is required. The
mercury once sorbed stays on the sorbent and does not leave the adsorber. However, this method
requires additional adsorption vessels and it adds to the pressure drop on the process stream. Also, the
eventual disposal of the used sorbent can be expensive since the sorbent not only picks up the mercury,
but it will often contain other hazardous material such as benzene and other hydrocarbons and may
even accumulate some other trace hazardous materials that are not detected by feed gas analyses.