The enhance effect of atomic Cl in CuCl2/TiO2 catalyst for Hg0 catalytic oxidation

The effect of flue gas components on the Hg0 oxidation efficiency of CuO/TiO2 and CuCl2/TiO2 catalysts was investigated. The results indicated that HCl and O2 in the atmosphere positively affect Hg0 oxidation, and HCl is more effective than O2. Meanwhile, atomic Cl and O in the catalyst also play crucial roles in the Hg0 oxidation process. Thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray Diffractograms (XRD), Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technologies were adopted to characterize the raw CuCl2/TiO2 catalyst. The Hg0 oxidation mechanisms over CuO/TiO2 and CuCl2/TiO2 catalysts were discussed. Both HCl and O2 gases were found to be necessary to revert to CuO or CuCl2 via an intermediate step. The CuCl2/TiO2 catalyst has a potential industrial application because it has a certain oxidation activity in the absence of HCl, high stability and a large temperature window.