Apparatus and method for controlling mercury pollution from a cement plant

A method of removing mercury containing pollutants from a cement plant having a main gas flow, comprising the steps of:

• indirectly heating feed meal to a first temperature sufficient to volatilize pollutants in said feed meal, including mercury pollutants and non-mercury pollutants, and containing said volatilized pollutants in a first gas flow that is separate from the main cement plant gas flow,
• combusting the first gas flow to render at least some of said non-mercury pollutants harmless,
• reducing the temperature of the first gas flow to a second temperature to condense the mercury pollutants in a non-contact heat exchanger using air as a cooling fluid;
• adsorbing the condensed mercury pollutants on carbon particles injected into the first gas flow,
• filtering the first gas flow to remove the mercury pollutant contaminated carbon particles, thus forming a cleaned first gas flow;
• and
• returning the cleaned first gas flow to the main cement plant gas flow.