Modeling of Mercury Oxidation and Adsorption by Cupric Chloride-Impregnated Carbon Sorbents

Cupric chloride-impregnated activated carbon sorbents (CuCl 2 -ACs) showed good performance in Hg 0 oxidation and adsorption in previously published entrained-flow test results. In addition, our previous studies indicated that Hg 0 is oxidized by CuCl 2 -ACs and the resultant oxidized mercury is readsorbed onto the sorbents. This study conducted mathematical modeling to interpret these previous results and better understand the Hg 0 oxidation and adsorption mechanism of CuCl 2 -ACs. As a result, the mathematical modeling results confirmed that Hg 0 oxidation by CuCl 2 -ACs is determined by the injection level of CuCl 2 impregnated onto the sorbents. An increase in CuCl 2 loading in CuCl 2 -ACs was found to increase Hg 0 oxidation but very slightly increased Hg adsorption because an increase in CuCl 2 loading decreased the active CuCl 2 -free carbon sites available for the readsorption of resultant oxidized mercury on the surfaces and inside the pores.