In-situ construction of different Lewis acids in hyper-cross-linked polymer as water-resistant adsorbent for efficient Hg0 removal

Abstract

Hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCP) are regarded as promising materials for limiting gaseous Hg⁰ emissions. However, the protracted synthesis period and the complicated post-modification process hinder practical use in gaseous pollution control. Herein, a facile in-situ catalytic method for converting waste plastic into Lewis acid-embedded HCP is proposed to overcome these drawbacks. Various Lewis acids could serve as catalysts for HCP skeleton formation as well as Hg⁰-affinitive species. The resulting HCP-Metal samples exhibited high demercuration (De-Hg) ability (∼100% in 120 min) and excellent water resistance (10% H₂O), greatly surpassing those of state-of-the-art adsorbents. Experiments and theoretical calculations confirmed that Hg⁰ bonding configurations include Hg⁰ over Cl-monodentate, Cl-bridged sites and metal-top sites. The closer energy level of electron donor orbital for FeCl₃/CuCl₂ corresponds to excellent De-Hg performance. This exploration of the use of different Lewis acids in the in-situ catalytic process offers promising applications in environmental remediation and energy storage.