Moosebreath94

Many years ago I built a small O2 generator that concentrated O2 from the atmosphere utilizing pressure swing absorption and molecular sieves. I think they do the same thing for concentrating N. I seem to recall that there were a few fellows with advanced chemistry degrees designing boutique catalysts and molecular sieves for the refining and petrochemical industy, and they where doing quite well financially. I have a number of power plants as customers. I have some friends that are to be layed off this April due to plant closures. The issue is Hg in the plant stack gas emissions. The current corporate removal stategy is sorption on activated carbon. Would anyone here have knowledge of a mol sieve or catalyst, regenerable via temp or pressure, that could be used to selectively remove Hg?

I bought my girlfriend a little ethanol fueled fireplace for Christmas. Much of the fuel is wicked up by fiberglass packing material around the perimeter of the fuel tank / combustion chamber, and the vapors are burned, and it makes a cheery little fire. Ethanol makes a flickering blue yellow flame (a little CO) about 9 inches high. Methanol makes a shorter blue (no CO) cone. If I add Isopropanol to the methanol, it begins to look like the ethanol flame. I would like to add copper to make a green flame (she likes it), but I have been unsucessful on several attemps. I have added copper sulfate to the fuel, but since it is the vapor that burns and not the liquid, there is little effect exept concentrating the CuSO4 in the unburned liquid fuel. I have tried copper wire in several diameters from magnet wire coils to thick pieces but I think the surface of the wire is quickly oxidized (or reduced) and only a very brief green color is seen. Anyone have any ideas on how to accomplish this and make me a hero to my Art Professor?