A method for continuously removing mercury from a supply of combustion gas
is provided. The method includes adjusting a power input to an
electrostatic precipitator to control a quantity of fly ash emitted from
the electrostatic precipitator. A turbulent flow of combustion gas is
produced to suspend particulate matter including the quantity of fly ash
contained in the supply of combustion gas. A substantial portion of the
mercury is absorbed within the particulate matter including the quantity
of fly ash. The supply of combustion gas is filtered to remove the
particulate matter from the mercury. A quantity of absorption sites
available for absorbing mercury is controlled by monitoring an emission
of fly ash from the electrostatic precipitator.