Download - Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute

STDF Project
As an element in the periodic table, mercury is
found at trace levels in air, sea water and fossil
fuels. Mercury is found in a variety of chemical
and physical forms (species). Each has
different characteristics in terms of solubility,
volatility, toxicity, and reactivity.
Mercury has received considerable attention
from the environmental engineers due to its
high toxicity, a tendency to bio-accumulate and
difficulties in its control. Gas and oil combustion
is a very significant source of mercury input in
the environment. Volatilized mer-cury also has
been responsible for damaging valuable
refinery catalysts, and for contaminating both
plant equipment and products.
In natural gas, the typical mercury
concentration is between 1 and 200 ng/l. Crude
oil and gas condensate can contain several
chemical forms of mercury, which differ in their
chemical and physical properties. In spite of
the presence of many publications on the
removal of mercury species from natural gas
and waste water, there is a shortage in the
focusing on the mercury problem associated
with the petroleum condensate. Such lack in
the scientific research may be related to the
complexity of the nature of mercury species on
the petroleum condensate and petroleum oil.
The project aims to study and to evaluate the
most sufficient nano-adsorbents for removing
mercury from natural gas, petroleum condensate
and corresponding aqueous dehy-dration wastes
that are produced and/or processed in Egypt for
the purpose of minimize, to the extent possible,
emissions of mercury to Egypt environment from
natural gas and petroleum industry and utility.
Project team:
Prof. Dr. Yasser Moustafa (PI)
Dr Tamer Z. Sharara
Eng. Ashraf Abed El Mohsen
(EGAS)
Ass. Res. Howyada Abd El Salam
Ass. Res. Ayat Abd El Aziz
Ass. Res. Mohamed El Bakry
EPRI Annual Report 2012 28