Assessment of mercury emissions into the atmosphere from the combustion of hard coal in a home heating boiler

The purpose of the paper was to determine the factor of mercury emission into the atmosphere by households in Poland. Research for a home coal-fired boiler typical of Polish conditions was carried out, which was conducted throughout the heating season. On the basis of assessment of the quantity of coal burned and mercury content contained therein, as well as of the mercury content in bottom ash, chimney soot, boiler deposits and their quantities, annual mercury emissions and its factor of emission into the atmosphere were defined. It was defined that the mercury emission factor for the investigated case of a single-family house is at a level of 0.56 μg/MJ. It was shown that 41.4% of the mercury contained in coal burned in a home heating boiler is emitted into the atmosphere, 57.0% is adsorbed by chimney soot, 0.3% by boiler heater deposits and 1.3% passes into bottom ash. Annual mercury emissions into the atmosphere from the single-family house concerned was 79 mg. Mercury emissions can be significantly reduced by households by separating any overgrowths with pyrite from coal. The solution proposed would enable a reduction in annual mercury emissions into the atmosphere in Poland from the domestic user sector by 58.5% (0.351 Mg). The factor of emission of mercury into the atmosphere would be 0.23 μg/MJ.