Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) is of increasing concern
in industrial flue gases because of its difficult disposal. Currently,
catalysis conversion and adsorption to oxidized species (Hg2+) and particle-bonded states (Hgp) are two common Hg0 disposal methods. While no clear boundary exists between
these methods, the selection of technologies for practical applications
highly depends on the gas temperature, mercury concentration, and
gas components over a solid material. This review aims to describe
some principles for solid material selection, discusses the heterogeneous
reaction mechanisms for gaseous Hg0 conversion, classifies
the various types of catalysts and sorbents, and summarizes their
potential applications. Gaseous Hg0 undergoes interface
physical adsorption, catalytic oxidation, and chemical adsorption
processes. Overcoming the surface bonding energies can convert the
Hg0 to Hg2+ via the catalytic process. Meanwhile,
strong bonding energies can ensure chemical adsorption, resulting
in mercury surface solidification. On this basis, the catalysts and
sorbents materials, the reaction mechanism, and different types of
solid materials were evaluated. We clearly discussed the reaction
mechanism over different type of functional materials for Hg0 removal, to provide recommendations for studies to address concerns
regarding laboratory-scale to full-scale applications. Moreover, some
key parameters and a basic understanding of the practical applications
were proposed.