Toquop Energy Project estimates that Mercury emissions will be substantially lower than the emission limits set forth in the Federally proposed Clean Air Mercury Rule.
Toquop Energy estimates that Mercury emissions will average less than 100 lbs/yr., and, when operational, would be approximately 2.1% of the current estimated Mercury emissions from regulated sources in Nevada.
Existing metal mining projects in NV currently emit an estimated 4,702 lbs of Mercury annually*.
Toquop will control over 90% of mercury emissions. The Project will emit significantly less than other coal-fired plants in Nevada.
Mercury is a worldwide issue, not a local issue. It is estimated natural sources generate 40% of worldwide Mercury emissions. Of man-made sources, it is estimated the U.S. generates only 3-5% of global Mercury emissions, Asian countries contribute 50%, and other countries contribute the remaining 45-47%.
A recent study shows that wildfires and prescribed burns in the United States release 42,000 - 141,000 lbs of Mercury annually.**
* EPA's 2005 Toxic Release Inventory
** Release of Mercury from Rocky Mountain Forest Fires, Abir Viswas, Global Biogeochemical Cycles Vol. 21 January 2007.
Natural sources of mercury—such as volcanic eruptions and emissions from the ocean—have been estimated to contribute about 40 percent of current worldwide mercury air emissions, whereas human-made sources account for the remaining 60 percent. It is estimated that the United States presently accounts for 3 to 5 percent of total global mercury air emissions, whereas Asian countries are estimated to contribute about one-half of the human-made air emissions. Because of federal bans on mercury additives in paints and pesticides, reduced mercury use in batteries, and improved battery recycling, the U.S. industrial demand for mercury has dropped 75 percent since 1988. Based on current preliminary data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the principal human-caused sources of mercury emissions in the United States are coal-fired power plants (33 percent of the total emitted), municipal waste incinerators (19 percent), and medical waste incinerators (10 percent) (See Figure 1).
Much has been discussed and written about the need to clear undergrowth from forestlands to reduce fire hazard, and the catastrophic loses of timber and property associated with forest fires. Now recent studies have shown that forest fires also cause large-scale emissions of mercury and carbon dioxide—a major greenhouse gas.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Washington conducted the study that showed that large amounts of mercury are emitted from forest fires. This new knowledge could result in increased regulation and cost impacts for anybody dealing with forest products.
Mercury in the atmosphere is a concern because it is toxic and eventually is deposited on land and water bodies, where it enters the food chain. Scientists estimate that about half of the mercury in the atmosphere comes from natural causes (erosion or other soil processes, volcanic eruptions, etc.) and half from human activity. As an example, NCAR estimates that about 25 percent of the mercury emitted in the United States each year comes from coal-fired power plants.
Since a large part of the earth is forested, a significant amount of mercury from the atmosphere is deposited onto forests. In a sense, this forestry-deposited mercury is sequestered until something happens—such as a storm—to release it again. The main mechanism causing this release is forest fires.
Laboratory tests conducted by the U.S. Forest Service burned samples of leaves and forestry litter. These tests found that nearly all the mercury contained in these materials was emitted as either gaseous or elemental mercury. Actual measurements from wildfires found higher emission levels than from the laboratory tests. One theory as to why the higher emissions occur is that soils heated by the fires are also emitting mercury.
NCAR scientists have calculated that more than 800 tons may be re-entering the atmosphere as a result of forest fires. Since this level is 19 times the mercury emitted annually from US power plants, it is extremely significant in the overall world mercury budget.
For additional information on this subject, see the article entitled "Mercury and the Forest" in the February 2002 issue of Forest Products Equipment magazine, p. 10; and "Direct carbon emissions from Canadian forest fires, 1959-1999," in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 31: 512-525 (2001).