EPRI and NETL collaboratively funded a $3-million program under the DOE/ University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (UNDEERC) Jointly Sponsored Research Program (JSRP) to evaluate, develop, and validate a mercury speciation method for coal-fired produced flue gas. There was a 60/40 percent split of the funding, as required under the JSRP for this two-year effort. The work conducted by the EERC identified the Ontario Hydro Method as the best mercury speciation method. The EERC has validated the Ontario Hydro Method at both pilot- and full-scale levels. Radian International aided in the full-scale validation, with a written protocol of the method being finalized through the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

The protocol was written by a team consisting of the EERC, DOE, EPRI, EPA, and experts in manual sampling methods and was reviewed and finalized under the ASTM Committee D-22 on Sampling and Analysis of Atmospheres. Under Subcommittee D22.03 on Ambient Atmospheres and Source Emissions, a working group was formed to establish manual methods for both speciated and elemental Mercury determinations. This working group consisted of representatives from Land Instruments International, NETL, EPRI, EERC, EPA, RMB Consulting, CONSOL Inc., Consultant Barry Jackson, ADA Technologies, Inc., U.S. Department of Commerce/National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), PS Analytical, McDermott Technology Inc., and Dr. Keith Curtis of Ontario Hydro, who originally developed the method.

The Ontario Hydro Method was specified under EPA's Information Collection request (ICR) as the method to be used for mercury speciation measurements at approximately 80 utility sites selected by EPA. The development of this method is one of the major accomplishments in mercury R&D. This valuable tool has dramatically aided in our understanding of mercury in the flue gas from the combustion of coal. The significant accomplishments in mercury research made in the past several years could not have been realized if not for the perseverance of the research teams at many of these other contributing research organizations.

The paper "Correlation for the Vapor Pressure of Mercury" [PDF-400KB] was published by the American Chemical Society on September 12, 2006