Hg0 Removal Capacity of Loaded Copper Sulfide Mercury Adsorbents for Natural Gas

Abstract

A loaded copper sulfide was explored as a mercury adsorbent used in natural gas. Mercury adsorption experiments were carried out on a fixed-bed experimental device. The performance and Hg° capacity of loaded copper sulfide and sulfur-loaded activated carbon were compared. The physico-chemical properties before and after adsorption were characterized and compared by means of surface area and porosity analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyzer. The thermal desorption experiment was conducted in a tubular furnace, and the mercury adsorption form was obtained. The experimental results showed that the mercury removal efficiency reached the highest at the temperature of 100°C. The mercury removal efficiency decreased with the increase of mercury concentration and increased with the quantities of adsorbents. Under the experimental conditions, the Hg0 removal efficiency of the loaded copper sulfide was better than the sulfur-loaded activated carbon. The mechanism of mercury removal lied in the Cu2+ oxidation to Hg0, and the main adsorption morphology of loaded copper sulfide was HgS.