Mercury removal in utility wet scrubber using a chelating agent

A method for capturing and reducing the mercury content of an industrial flue gas such as that produced in the combustion of a fossil fuel or solid waste adds a chelating agent such as ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) to the flue gas being scrubbed in a wet scrubber used in the industrial process. The EDTA prevents the reduction of oxidized mercury to elemental mercury, thereby increasing the mercury removal efficiency of the wet scrubber. Tests on inlet and outlet mercury concentration in an industrial flue gas were performed without and with EDTA addition. Without EDTA, mercury removal totaled 42%. With EDTA, mercury removal increased to 71%.