Fly ash is a potential alternative to activated carbon for mercury adsorption. The effects of physicochemical properties on the mercury adsorption performance of three fly ash samples were investigated. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and other methods were used to characterize the samples. Results indicate that mercury adsorption on fly ash is primarily physisorption and chemisorption. High specific surface areas and small pore diameters are beneficial to efficient mercury removal. Incompletely burned carbon is also an important factor for the improvement of mercury removal efficiency, in particular. The C-M bond, which is formed by the reaction of C and Ti, Si and other elements, may improve mercury oxidation. The samples modified with CuBr2 , CuCl 2 and FeCl3 showed excellent performance for Hg removal, because the chlorine in metal chlorides acts as an oxidant that promotes the conversion of elemental mercury （Hg0） into its oxidized form （Hg2＋）. Cu2＋ and Fe3＋ can also promote Hg 0 oxidation as catalysts. HCl and O2 promote the adsorption of Hg by modified fly ash, whereas SO2 inhibits the Hg adsorption because of competitive adsorption for active sites. Fly ash samples modified with CuBr2 , CuCl2 and FeCl3 are therefore promising materials for controlling mercury emissions.
The elemental mercury removal abilities of three different zeolites（Na A, Na X, HZSM-5）impregnated with iron（Ⅲ） chloride were studied on a lab-scale fixed-bed reactor. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption（TPD） analyses were used to investigate the physicochemical properties. Results indicated that the pore structure and active chloride species on the surface of the samples are the key factors for physisorption and oxidation of Hg0, respectively. Relatively high surface area and micropore volume are beneficial to efficient mercury adsorption. The active Cl species generated on the surface of the samples were effective oxidants able to convert elemental mercury（Hg0）into oxidized mercury（Hg2＋）. The crystallization of Na Cl due to the ion exchange effect during the impregnation of Na A and Na X reduced the number of active Cl species on the surface, and restricted the physisorption of Hg0. Therefore, the Hg0 removal efficiencies of the samples were inhibited. The TPD analysis revealed that the species of mercury on the surface of Fe Cl3–HZSM-5 was mainly in the form of mercuric chloride（Hg Cl2）, while on Fe Cl3–Na X and Fe Cl3–Na A it was mainly mercuric oxide（HgO）.
