Reducing mercury vapor emissions

Abstract

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods that include obtaining a sorbent polymer composite material, contacting the sorbent polymer composite material with mercury vapor to form a spent sorbent polymer composite material, wherein the spent sorbent polymer composite material includes oxidized mercury and the spent sorbent polymer composite material releases oxidized mercury vapor, and contacting the spent sorbent polymer composite material with a halogen source to provide a treated sorbent polymer composite material. In some embodiments, the treated sorbent polymer composite material releases less than 0.01 μg of oxidized mercury vapor per minute per gram of the treated sorbent polymer composite material compared to the spent sorbent polymer composite material when measured at 65° C. in air having 95% relative humidity.