Method and system for reducing mercury emissions in flue gas

A system for capturing mercury from a stream of flue gas, said system comprising:

• a waste treatment system coupled in flow communication with a source of flue gas wherein the flue gas includes mercury, said waste treatment system is configured to receive the stream of flue gas from the source of flue gas, said waste treatment system comprising a solid sorbent injector and a solid sorbent collection device;
• a solid sorbent generator coupled in flow communication with said waste treatment system;
• and
• a solid sorbent storage vessel configured to receive a flow of solid sorbent from said solid sorbent generator and configured to supply a flow of stored sorbent material to said waste treatment system.

A method for capturing mercury in a flue gas formed by solid fuel combustion comprising:

• combusting a solid coal fuel in a combustion zone such that mercury released from the fuel during combustion is entrained in a flow of flue gas generated by the combustion;
• generating a thermally activated carbon-containing solid sorbent and gaseous gasification products by partially gasifying a carbon solid fuel in a gasifier proximate the combustion zone;
• storing the solid sorbent generated in the gasifier in a sorbent storage vessel proximate the flow of flue gas;
• adding a halogen material to the solid sorbent such that the solid sorbent is additionally activated using the halogen material;
• injecting the thermally activated solid sorbent from the storage vessel into the flue gas downstream of the combustion zone, and capturing at least some of the mercury in the flow of flue gas with the injected solid sorbent.