Dielectric Barrier Discharge Coupling Catalytic Oxidation for Highly Efficient Hg⁰ Conversion

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Catalysis
• Plasma Technology

Background:

• Flue gas mercury (Hg⁰) emissions pose significant environmental risks.
• Effective oxidation of Hg⁰ is crucial for mercury removal technologies.
• Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors offer potential for gas-phase pollutant treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel method for flue gas mercury oxidation.
• To investigate the performance of CuCe/Ti catalysts in a DBD reactor for Hg⁰ removal.
• To elucidate the oxidation mechanism and influencing factors of Hg⁰ in the DBD-CuCe/Ti system.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of CuCe/Ti catalysts.
• Utilizing a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor for flue gas treatment.
• Experimental investigation of Hg⁰ oxidation efficiency under varying conditions (O₂, NO, SO₂, H₂O, voltage).

Main Results:

• The DBD coupled with CuCe/Ti catalyst effectively oxidized flue gas Hg⁰.
• Oxidation efficiency (η_Hg) was influenced by O₂ content, NO, SO₂, water vapor, and discharge voltage.
• A Hg⁰ oxidation efficiency of 93% was achieved with 1.25 g catalyst and 9.5 kV discharge voltage in simulated flue gas.

Conclusions:

• The DBD coupling CuCe/Ti technology is a promising approach for Hg⁰ conversion.
• This method is suitable for efficient flue gas mercury removal.
• Understanding the influencing factors and mechanism is key to optimizing the process.