Preparation of Fly-Ash-Modified Bamboo-Shell Carbon Black and Its Mercury Removal Performance in Simulated Flue Gases

Abstract

Toxic mercury emissions from various industrial sources, especially coal combustion, have become an increasing concern in recent years, and effective methods of removing these emissions from coal combustion flue gases are being sought. In this study, fly-ash-modified bamboo-shell carbon blacks were prepared, and the properties and mercury removal abilities of the prepared carbon blacks were evaluated. The fly ash acted as a support for the carbon structure during the carbon black preparation, and demonstrated the ability to fix a portion of the carbon contained in volatile compounds during carbonization, resulting in a higher carbon yield of the carbon black containing fly ash; it had a higher BET surface area and a higher mercury removal ability than carbon black without fly ash. Strong pore structure, in the range of 1000–10000 nm, appeared after the addition of fly ash, which became stronger with higher fly-ash content. Additionally, the mercury compounds generated through the catalytic effect of fly a...