Skip to main content
Mercury Removal from Natural Gas
Gas Treatment & Drying

Mercury Removal from Natural Gas

Sulphur impregnated activated carbon mercury removal from natural gas, condensate, and refinery streams to protect cryogenic and brazed aluminium equipment from mercury amalgam attack.

Find My Solution View Products & Systems
The Challenge
Trace mercury in natural gas (typically 1 to 100 µg/Nm³ depending on the reservoir) forms amalgams with aluminium that destroy brazed aluminium plate fin heat exchangers in LNG and ethylene cold boxes. A single point source release can write off a heat exchanger worth tens of millions of dollars.
Quick Answer

Mercury removal from natural gas uses a fixed bed of sulphur impregnated activated carbon to capture elemental and ionic mercury as mercury sulphide. Outlet mercury is reduced below 10 ng/Nm³ to protect cryogenic LNG main heat exchangers, ethylene cold boxes, and brazed aluminium plate fin equipment from amalgam attack.

Mercury Removal from Natural Gas

The Mercury Amalgam Risk to Cold Box Equipment

Trace mercury contamination in natural gas, condensate, and refinery streams is a low concentration, high consequence problem. At typical reservoir levels of 1 to 100 µg/Nm³ the mercury is invisible in the gas; downstream it forms amalgams with aluminium that progressively destroy brazed aluminium plate fin heat exchangers in LNG plants, ethylene cold boxes, and cryogenic air separation units. The SorbiTech mercury guard bed is the standard protection across these duties.

Sulphur Impregnated Activated Carbon Captures Hg as HgS

The bed is a fixed bed of sulphur impregnated pellet activated carbon. Elemental mercury (Hg⁰) physisorbs onto the carbon micropore structure; the impregnated sulphur reacts to form mercury sulphide (HgS), which is held irreversibly through the bed life. Ionic mercury (Hg²⁺) precipitates directly as sulphide on contact. Outlet mercury falls below 10 ng/Nm³, the standard target for LNG and cold box protection.

Mercury Removal from Natural Gas process equipment

Bed Location and Campaign Design

The mercury guard sits downstream of the dehydration bed to prevent water condensation in the guard, which would block the bed and accelerate breakthrough. SorbiTech sizes the bed for the operator contracted campaign, typically 3 to 5 years for sweet natural gas service. The bed is single use; spent media (containing 0.5 to 5 weight percent mercury) is classified as hazardous waste under Basel Convention rules.

Delivery and Hazardous Waste Disposal

Delivered as a complete mercury guard bed package with adsorber vessel, switching valves, and the SorbiTech impregnated carbon charge. The SorbiTech service contract handles the spent media changeout under nitrogen, the hazardous waste manifest, the licensed transport to a thermal mercury recovery facility, and the chain of custody documentation for the operator regulatory reporting. Sector coverage is oil and gas.

Selection Guidance

Sulphur impregnated activated carbon (chemisorption to mercury sulphide) is the reference grade. Bed sized for 3 to 5 year campaign at typical natural gas mercury loads. Single use media, no regeneration. Located downstream of dehydration to prevent water condensation in the guard bed.

How SorbiTech Solves It

A Specified, Verified Solution

Define the duty

We capture your process conditions: flow, composition, pressure, temperature, and the target outlet specification.

Select media & configuration

Our engineers recommend the adsorbent grade and system type that meet the duty with margin.

Size & engineer

Bed sizing, vessel design, and cycle parameters are engineered to your case and documented for approval.

Commission & verify

We support loading, start up, and performance verification against the guarantee.

Recommended Products & Systems

Media

Adsorbents & Media

  1. 01 Pellet Activated Carbon Adsorbent Pellet Activated Carbon Extruded pellet carbon for gas phase duties: solvent recovery, vapour recovery, odour control, and mercury guard beds. Form 3 mm or 4 mm extruded pellets
  2. 02 CMS 450hp Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 450HP Ultra high purity carbon molecular sieve. 99.99999 percent (7N) N2, selective O2 and CO2 capture, 1.0 to 1.6 mm pellets, minimal fines, deoxo polishing… Water Cap. Feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1, deoxo polishing recommended for 7N %
  3. 03 CMS 420kt Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 420KT High efficiency carbon molecular sieve. Higher oxygen affinity under 7 to 12 barg, 1.2 to 1.8 mm pellets, Snowstorm Filling compatible, ASTM D4058 attrition… Water Cap. Feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1 %
  4. 04 CMS 350kt Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 350KT Rapid adsorption carbon molecular sieve. 40 to 90 second cycle at 7 to 10 barg, up to 99.99 percent N2, 1.0 to 2.2 mm… Water Cap. Moisture at supply below 1.0 percent, feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1 %
  5. 05 Activated Alumina Aa 201 Adsorbent Activated Alumina Impregnated Promoter loaded activated alumina for hydrogen sulphide, chloride, and Claus tail gas guard duty. Form 3–5 mm spheres · 1.6–3.2 mm spheres
  6. 06 CMS 260l Adsorbent Carbon Molecular Sieve CMS 260L Affordable carbon molecular sieve. 1.2 to 1.8 mm pellets, sub 10 Angstrom pore, 95 to 99.9 percent N2 from compressed air at 7 to… Water Cap. Intolerant of liquid water, feed must reach ISO 8573 class 1.4.1 %
Equipment

Engineered Systems

  1. 01 SorbiTech Mercury Guard Bed Hg Removal Sulphur Impregnated Carbon Equipment Mercury Guard Bed Sulphur impregnated activated carbon mercury guard bed for natural gas, condensate, and refinery streams to protect cryogenic and brazed aluminium equipment from mercury attack. Capacity 0.1–500 MMSCFD
  2. 02 SorbiTech Transformer Breather Cartridge System Silica Gel Grid Utility Breather Equipment Transformer Breather Cartridge System Pre packaged stainless steel transformer breather cartridge with indicating silica gel for grid transformer moisture protection across the high voltage transmission and distribution network. Capacity 0.5–25 kVA transformer to 800 kV substation
  3. 03 SorbiTech Cryogenic ASU Pre Purification Package ASU Front End 13x Alumina TSA Towers Equipment Cryogenic ASU Pre Purification Package Front end TSA pre purification package for cryogenic air separation units removing water, carbon dioxide, and trace hydrocarbons before the cold box. Capacity 5,000–500,000 Nm³/h air
  4. 04 SorbiTech Biogas Upgrading Unit Biomethane PSA Carbon Molecular Sieve Equipment Biogas Upgrading Unit PSA biogas upgrading unit using carbon molecular sieve to separate carbon dioxide from methane and deliver grid quality bio methane from anaerobic digester biogas… Capacity 50–2,000 Nm³/h raw biogas
  5. 05 SorbiTech Oxygen Vpsa Package Industrial Oxygen Vpsa Steel Mill Blast Furnace Equipment Oxygen VPSA Package On site vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) oxygen generation package delivering 90 to 95 percent oxygen for medical, aquaculture, ozone generation, and metals applications. Capacity 50–2,500 Nm³/h O₂ (90–95 % purity)
  6. 06 SorbiTech Heatless Desiccant Air Dryer Compressed Air ISO 8573 Twin Tower Dryer Equipment Heatless Desiccant Air Dryer Twin tower heatless desiccant compressed air dryer using activated alumina or silica gel for instrument and process air to pressure dew points below minus… Capacity 50–10,000 Nm³/h
Industries

Industries Using This Application

  1. 01 SorbiTech Industrial Gas Air Separation ASU Cryogenic Distillation Cold Box Sector Industrial Gas & Air Separation Molecular sieves and carbon molecular sieve plus PSA/TSA systems for nitrogen and oxygen generation and cryogenic air separation pre purification.
  2. 02 SorbiTech Oil Gas Offshore Platform Upstream Production Sector Oil & Gas Complete dehydration, separation, and treatment across upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas. SorbiTech supplies the adsorbent media and the engineered systems from one…

Specify a Solution for This Application

Provide your process conditions and our team will recommend the grade, configuration, and sizing.

contact@sorbitech.com