Description:
Thiol-SAMMS for liquid applications (THSL) is a molecular engineered adsorbent specifically designed to capture and remove mercury from surface water, groundwater and liquid waste streams. The fast kinetics, high loading capacity and strong covalent bonding place SAMMS as the best technology available when low concentrations of mercury are desired.
Significant Benefits:
- Loading Capacity – The typical capacity or loading factor of THSL derived from the adsorption isotherm is 0.4 – 0.6 grams Hg/gram of the THSL adsorbent for terminal Hg concentration of 100-200 ppm. This makes SAMMS the only commercially available adsorbent that can adsorb more than half its weight in mercury.
- Kinetics – Thiol-SAMMS has extremely fast kinetics. Tests have shown that THSL is able to remove more than 99.5% mercury within minutes. It has also been demonstrated that Thiol-SAMMS is able to reduce mercury concentrations down to below 1 ppt, a level that most other adsorbents can’t reach. The kinetics of SAMMS mercury reduction is dependent on the chemical conditions of the solution. Delivery systems are available in both batch and continuous high flow through systems typically encountered in process water applications.
- pH Accommodation - Optimal kinetics is typically achieved from 4 to 8 pH and good results are obtained from a pH of ~2 to 12.5.
- Selectivity – Most cations and anions have a minimal impact on SAMMS performance and THSL is highly selective for mercury and other “soft” heavy metals such as silver, cadmium, copper and lead. SAMMS is chemically specific and hydrophobic which are characteristics that enhance its ability to remove mercury in the presence of organics in aqueous waste steams.
- Adsorption Capabilities – Thiol-SAMMS possesses superior adsorption capabilities by covalently bonding to soft heavy metals such as mercury, thus reducing the possibility of leaching and making SAMMS more environmentally effective.
- Cost of Disposal – THSL is a cost effective alternative to other commercially available sorbents. SAMMS produces savings based on its capacity, long life, resilience to fouling, and significant savings from greatly reduced disposal volumes. Compared to other sorbents, SAMMS is able to adsorb large quantities of mercury with thirty times less solid waste than carbon based sorbents. In addition, SAMMS can be regenerated to recover the mercury and reuse the adsorbent to further lower operational cost.
Figure 1 provides several examples of the adsorption capability of Thiol-SAMMS
Material Properties:
- Bulk Density – The bulk density for Thiol-SAMMS is approximately 0.3 g/cc.
- Average Particle Size – Approximately 40 microns