about the significance of mercury releases to land and water from coal-fired power plants, as well as coal washing. δ202Hg varies in coals by 3‰ and Δ201Hg varies by 0.9‰. Human activity is the main cause of mercury releases, particularly from coal-fired power stations; residential coal burning for heating and cooking; industrial processes; waste incinerators; and as a result of mining for mercury, gold and other metals. The main focus on regulatory control for mercury at the moment is the reduction of mercury air emissions from coal fired power plants. Ohio emmited the largest amount of mercury from coal-fired power plants (21 percent of the total in the Great Lakes region), followed closely by Pennsylvania (20 percent) and Indiana (16 percent). 1.1 These test methods cover procedures to determine the total mercury content in a sample of coal or coal combustion residue. 4 Mercury Types From Power Plants CCTR Indiana Center for Coal Technology Research • 40% of Hg from power plants is Oxidized Hg 60% of Hg from power plants is Elemental Hg • Most of the Oxidized Hg and all of the Elemental Hg is carried away by the wind • Oxidized Hg is water-soluble.A small amount of the oxidized Hg ends up in water Once in the environment, mercury can be transformed by bacteria into methyl mercury. Mercury (Hg) is one of the elements of special environmental concern. Over 13,000 pounds of mercury was emitted by the 144+ coal plants into the air in 2010. Being highly volatile (it vaporizes at temperature as low as 150°C; Finkelman, 1981), mercury poses a special problem for electric utilities. Mercury stored in coal deposits displays a wide range of both mass dependent fractionation (MDF, δ202Hg) and mass independent fractionation (MIF, Δ201Hg). EPA officials estimated that about 50 tons of elemental mercury are emitted each year from U.S. coal-burning powerplants, with lesser amounts coming from oil- and gas-burning units. Coal itself isn’t a particularly toxic material. In February 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a report citing mercury emissions from electric utilities as the largest remaining anthropogenic source of mercury released to the air. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data indicates that coal combustion in power plants now accounts for 43% of mercury air emissions generated in the US. Furthermore, mercury emissions from similar types of power plants are largely correlated with the amount of mercury in the coal. Inorganic constituents in coal have a significant effect on almost every aspect of coal utilization as well as its impact on the environment. And despite a growing number of countries moving away from coal, global demand is expected to remain steady over the next 5 years. Although coal contains only low concentrations of mercury, it is burnt in very large volumes. But after it's burned, what remains in the ash includes lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and selenium, all … American Lung Association.. Coal-fired power plants are the largest U.S. source of mercury, and the 2012 pollution-control requirements prompted a wave of closures of the facilities. Combining these two Hg isotope signals results in what may be a unique isotopic “fingerprint” for many coal deposits. 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