Scientists from Purdue University Calumet and Argonne National
Laboratory did a good job of studying the available technologies
to prove that BP can indeed keep mercury out of Lake Michigan,
easily complying with the Great Lakes Initiative standards. The
scientists worked on the project for more than four years before
releasing their findings Tuesday in a community briefing at
Purdue Calumet. In the final analysis, it's not just whether a
technology works, but whether it's cost-effective. The
scientists took into account energy costs for operating the
technology, not just because of the operating cost but also to
make sure burning coal to generate electricity didn't put more
mercury into the air than was being removed from the water. That
narrowed the options, said George Nnanna of Purdue Calumet's
Water Institute. The scientists tested two products at BP's
Whiting Refinery. One was an ultrafiltration technology that
uses fiber membranes to trap mercury. That technology kept the
mercury levels at 0.5 parts pe