Mercury removal from aqueous solution and flue gas by adsorption on activated carbon fibres

• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2005.11.034
• Publication Date: 2005-12-16T07:13:23Z
• Authors: João Valente Nabais; P.J.M. Carrott; M.M.L. Ribeiro Ca...; Marisa Belchior; Dulce Boavida; Tatiana Diall; Ibrahim Gulyurtlu
• Keywords: Mercury

Abstract The use of two activated carbon fibres, one laboratorial sample prepared from a commercial acrylic textile fibre and one commercial sample of Kynol ® , as prepared/received and modified by reaction with powdered sulfur and H 2 S gas in order to increase the sulfur content were studied for the removal of mercury from aqueous solution and from flue gases from a fluidized bed combustor. The sulfur introduced ranged from 1 to 6 wt.% depending on the method used. The most important parameter for the mercury uptake is the type of sulfur introduced rather than the total amount and it was found that the H 2 S treatment of ACF leads to samples with the highest mercury uptake, despite the lower sulfur amount introduced. The modified samples by both methods can remove HgCl 2 from aqueous solutions at pH 6 within the range 290–710 mg/g (ACF) which can be favourably compared with other studies already published. The use of a filter made with an activated carbon fibre modified by powdered sulfur totally removed the mercury species present in the flue gases produced by combustion of fossil fuel.