Abstract |
The paper gives results of a study of the mechanisms and rate of elemental mercury (Hg) capture by activated carbons, using a bench-scale apparatus. Three types of activated carbons, two thermally activated (PC-100 and FGD) and one impregnated with elemental sulfur (S) (HGR), were used to study the effects of surface area (approximately 550-1000 sq m/g), sorption temperature (23-140 C), and elemental Hg concentration (30 and 60 ppb of elemental Hg in nitrogen). Investigations revealed that sorption occurs in active sites in PC-100 and FGD which are either depleted or deactivated at 140 C. Desorption studies for PC-100 and HGR revealed the sorption mechanism to be a combination of physisorption and chemisorption at 23 C, whereas chemisorptionis the primary route at 140 C. |