Removal of Mercury from Simulated Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater using Functionalized Silica

We report highly promising results for Hg²⁺ removal from FGD wastewater to address new EPA effluent limitation guidelines (ELG). Their novelty stems from the use of realistic Hg concentrations in the presence of total dissolved solids typical for FGD wastewater. Although similar adsorbents were reported previously, they were studied at unrealistically high Hg concentrations in deionized water. We demonstrated that MPTMS-silica and MBT-silica can reduce Hg²⁺ below its maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) and ELGs independent of the concentration of major ions.