title: Bromine chloride as an oxidant to improve elemental mercury removal from coal-fired flue gas.
abstract: The equilibria and kinetics of the reaction between bromine (Br(2)) and chlorine (Cl(2)) to form bromine chloride (BrCl) at various temperatures were determined. BrCl was employed to oxidize elemental mercury (Hg(0)) under simulated flue gas conditions. The removal of Hg(0) from the gas phase by a homogeneous gas-phase oxidation reaction and the heterogeneous reactions involving flyash were investigated. The second-order gas phase rate constant was determined to be 2.3(+/-0.2) x 10(-17) cm(3).molecules(-1).s(-1) at 373K. The reaction of Hg(0)/BrCl was significantly accelerated in the presence of flyash, and the estimated Hg(0) removal efficiency in the presence of 0.6 ppmv BrCl and 20 g/m(3) flyash was up to 90%. Unexpectedly, the major product was found to be HgCl(2), rather than HgBr(2), indicating that bromine in part acted as the accelerant in Hg(0) oxidation in BrCl/Br(2)/Cl(2) system by facilitating the formation of intermediates. As a result, bromine consumption is much less than if only bromine gas is utilized alone. These results were helpful not only for understanding the mechanism of Hg(0) removal in coal-fired flue gas but also in any atmosphere in which bromine and chlorine species coexist.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240.
authors.forename: Zan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Naiqiang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Jinping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001965:Bromides / Q000737:chemistry*; D002712:Chlorides / Q000737:chemistry*; D003031:Coal; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011210:Power Plants
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001965:Bromides; D002712:Chlorides; D003031:Coal; D016877:Oxidants; C016271:bromine chloride; D008628:Mercury