Microwave-induced activation of additional active edge sites on the MoS ₂ surface for enhanced Hg ⁰ capture

In recent years, significant effort has been made in the development of novel materials for the removal of mercury from coal-derived flue gas. In this research, microwave irradiation was adopted to induce the creation of additional active sites on the MoS ₂ surface. The results showed that Hg ⁰ capture efficiency of the adsorbent containing MoS ₂ nanosheets being microwave treated was as high as 97%, while the sample prepared via conventional method only showed an efficiency of 94% in its first 180 min testing. After the adsorbent was treated by microwave irradiation for 3 more times, its mercury removal efficiency was still noticeably higher than that of the sample prepared via conventional method. Characterization of surface structure of the MoS ₂ containing material together with DFT study further revealed that the (001) basal planes of MoS ₂ crystal structure were cracked into (100) edge planes (with an angle of approximately 75°) under microwave treatment, which subsequently resulted in the formation of additional active edge sites on the MoS ₂ surface and led to the improved performance on Hg ⁰ capture.