Efficient mercury removal in high SO2 flue gas using a CuS-BTC metal-organic frameworks

In order to effectively remove the high concentration of mercury in the flue gas of high-sulfur non-ferrous smelting, a novel CuS-BTC material was synthesized by anchoring the sulfur element (S) to the Cu position in the copper-based metal-organic framework (Cu-BTC). Through a series of physicochemical characterizations, it was found that the designed CuS-BTC-10 material has a favourable specific surface area, and CuS can be evenly distributed in the MOF framework, which lays a foundation for the efficient capture of mercury. The performance test results showed that the CuS-BTC material with a Cu-S ratio of 1:10 had the best mercury removal effect at a reaction temperature of 100°C, and the mercury removal rate still reached 90% after 100 min of continuous reaction. The results of XPS analysis and Hg-TPD showed that the HgS pathway dominated the chemical adsorption of mercury by the materials. In addition, CuS-BTC exhibits excellent sulfur resistance, indicating that it can be applied to control mercury emissions in the flue gas of non-ferrous smelting. This discovery assists in the development of new mercury adsorbents and opens up a new avenue for the treatment of mercury pollution.