Advances in flue gas mercury abatement by mineral chalcogenides

Zheng, Wei; Li, Hailong; Yang, Zhaoguang; Yang, Jianping; Qu, Wenqi; Meng, Fanyue; Feng, Yong; Xu, Zhiwei; Guo, Xueyi

doi:10.1016/j.cej.2021.128608

Cited by 62 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 121 publications

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“…As shown in Fig. 5(f), pristine ZnS, amorphized ZnS, core-shell structured ZnS, Cu doped, Se doped, and ex situ etched ZnS exhibited Hg 0 accommodation capacities of 0.06 (83%), 0.27 (20%), 3.60 (100%), 3.60 (100%), 3.00 (100%), and 6.14 (50%) mg g −1 , respectively 6 , for which the numbers in the parentheses were the breakthrough thresholds at the time when the adsorption capacities of the designated sorbents were calculated. Although the breakthrough thresholds of amorphized ZnS and ex situ etched ZnS were not close to 100%, their capacities far below the capacity of 50%-penetrated CuS suggested limited prospects for practical use.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…With their enriched contents of surface sulfides, TMSs are effective sorbents with which to trap thiophilic counterparts and initiate transformations 3 . Taking this inspiration, the adsorption of elemental mercury (Hg 0 ), both a thiophilic element and a global pollutant 4,5 , on TMSs has been examined extensively to enable oxidation and stabilization, mimicking the natural processes of mercury deposition 6 . Since 2016, when TMSs were proposed to be promising candidates for Hg 0 capture, various TMSs, including zinc sulfide (ZnS) 7 , copper sulfide (CuS) 8 , cobalt sulfides (CoS x ) 9 , iron sulfides (FeS x ) 10 , molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) 11 , etc.…”

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confidence: 99%

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In situ acid etching boosts mercury accommodation capacities of transition metal sulfides

Zheng

et al. 2023

Nat Commun

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Transition Metal sulfides (TMSs) are effective sorbents for entrapment of highly polluting thiophiles such as elemental mercury (Hg0). However, the application of these sorbents for mercury removal is stymied by their low accommodation capacities. Among the transition metal sulfides, only CuS has demonstrated industrially relevant accommodation capacity. The rest of the transition metal sulfides have 100-fold lower capacities than CuS. In this work, we overcome these limitations and develop a simple and scalable process to enhance Hg0 accommodation capacities of TMSs. We achieve this by introducing structural motifs in TMSs by in situ etching. We demonstrate that in situ acid etching produces TMSs with defective surface and pore structure. These structural motifs promote Hg0 surface adsorption and diffusion across the entire TMSs architecture. The process is highly versatile and the in situ etched transition metal sulfides show over 100-fold enhancement in their Hg0 accommodation capacities. The generality and the scalability of the process provides a framework to develop TMSs for a broad range of applications.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

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confidence: 99%

In situ acid etching boosts mercury accommodation capacities of transition metal sulfides

Zheng

et al. 2023

Nat Commun

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“…Mercury can cause serious damage to the human body and ecosystems, and it is one of the most harmful pollutants in the environment [ 1 , 2 ]. Mercury in the atmosphere is mainly derived from flue gases released from power plants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density Functional Study to Investigate the Ability of (ZnS)n (n = 1–12) Clusters Removing Hg0, HgCl, and HgCl2 via Electron Localization Function and Non−Covalent Interactions Analyses

Tian

Song

2023

Molecules

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In this study, the density functional theory is used to study the ability of (ZnS)n clusters to remove Hg0, HgCl, and HgCl2 and reveals that they can be absorbed on (ZnS)n clusters. According to electron localization function (ELF) and non−covalent interactions (NCI) analyses, the adsorption of Hg0 on (ZnS)n is physical adsorption and the adsorption ability of (ZnS)n for removing Hg0 is weak. When (ZnS)n adsorbs HgCl and HgCl2, two new Hg−S and Zn−Cl bonds form in the resultant clusters. An ELF analysis identifies the formation of Hg−S and Zn−Cl bonds in (ZnS)nHgCl and (ZnS)nHgCl2. A partial density of states and charge analysis confirm that as Hg0, HgCl, and HgCl2 approach (ZnS)n clusters, atomic orbitals in Hg and Zn, Hg and S, as well as Zn and Cl overlap and hybridize. Adsorption energies of HgCl and HgCl2 on (ZnS)n clusters are obviously bigger than those of Hg0, indicating that HgCl and HgCl2 adsorption on (ZnS)n clusters is much stronger than that of Hg0. By combining ELF analysis, NCI analysis, and adsorption energies, the adsorption of HgCl, and HgCl2 on (ZnS)n clusters can be classified as chemical adsorption. The adsorption ability of (ZnS)n clusters for removing HgCl and HgCl2 is higher than that of Hg0.

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“…Liu et al 62 specifically summarized the influences of chemical constituents, flue gas components, modifying reagents, electric and magnetic fields, and ultraviolet irradiation on the Hg 0 adsorption and oxidation process over fly ash. Zheng et al 63 highlighted the latest advances in Hg 0 removal by mineral sulfides and selenides adsorbents, embracing their performances and mechanisms and the influences of reaction temperatures and flue gas components. Liu et al 64 fully commented on the recent progress on novel carbon-based mercury adsorbents, particularly emerging carbon materials, i.e., graphene and graphene oxide, carbon nanotube and nanofiber, carbon sphere, and metal−organic framework.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Gaseous Mercury Emission Control: A Review

et al. 2022

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Mercury emissions from combustion of coal, biomass, and solid waste threaten human life and the environment. As the principal mercury species in flue gas, elemental mercury (Hg0) can easily escape from available air pollution control instruments because of its chemical inertness, high volatility, and aqueous insolubility. Recently, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) seems to be an intriguing candidate for Hg0 emission control. This review highlights the latest advances in adsorptive and photocatalytic removal of Hg0 by g-C3N4-based composites. Metal oxide (MeO x )- and halide-modified g-C3N4 can effectively capture Hg0 from simulated flue gas. Nonetheless, acidic flue gas components can degrade the performances of MeO x /g-C3N4 adsorbents, while halide-modified g-C3N4 suffers from release of halogen and potential leaching risk of mercury. Metal sulfide (MeS x )-modified g-C3N4 appears to be the best candidate for Hg0 capture owing to its superior tolerance to sulfur dioxide, fast adsorption rate, and high mercury capacity. Combining bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX) with g-C3N4 can promote photocatalytic oxidation of elemental mercury under visible light irradiation; nonetheless, the Hg0 removal efficiency is still unsatisfactory, and the underlying photocatalysis mechanism is not yet clear.

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Advances in flue gas mercury abatement by mineral chalcogenides

Cited by 62 publications

References 121 publications

In situ acid etching boosts mercury accommodation capacities of transition metal sulfides

In situ acid etching boosts mercury accommodation capacities of transition metal sulfides

Density Functional Study to Investigate the Ability of (ZnS)n (n = 1–12) Clusters Removing Hg0, HgCl, and HgCl2 via Electron Localization Function and Non−Covalent Interactions Analyses

Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Gaseous Mercury Emission Control: A Review

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