Mercury Oxidation over a Vanadia-based Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalyst

Abstract

The process of the reaction among elemental mercury (Hg0) and reactive flue gas components across the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst was studied in a laboratory-scale reactor. Prepared vanadia-based SCR catalysts were characterized and analyzed to understand the potential reaction pathways. Mercury oxidation was observed when pro-exposure of the SCR catalyst to HCl, followed by passing through Hg0/N2 in the absence of gas-phase HCl. At testing conditions, Hg0 was found to desorb from the catalyst surface by adding HCl to the gas steam, which implies that HCl adsorption onto the SCR catalyst is strong relative to the mercury. Surface analysis verified the absorption of HCl onto the SCR catalysts, and the potential reaction pathways were proposed. Indeed, the monomeric vanadyl sites on the catalyst surface were found to be responsible for the adsorption of both Hg0 and HCl, which means they are active for mercury oxidation. Furthermore, the detailed Langmuir−Hinshelwood mechanism was proposed ...