Activated carbon (AC) injection has been regarded as one of the most effective control technologies for Hg⁰ removal in flue gas. It is worthwhile to explore new and simple preparation methods for AC with low cost and high Hg removal capacity. In this study, a biomass based AC was successfully prepared from levant cotton exocarp using ZnCl₂ activation. The mercury adsorption efficiency and mechanism were studied via the fixed bed experiments. Activator, reaction temperature and components of simulated coal-fired flue gas were investigated. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were applied for morphology characterization of the prepared AC and discussion of the possible adsorption mechanism. The adsorbed mercury species and the physiochemical properties of prepared AC were discussed. The results showed that (1) Hg⁰ removal efficiency could reach up to 90% at 150 ℃ under simulated flue gas (SFG); (2) Hg⁰ adsorption was controlled by the combination of physical and chemical mechanisms.

活性炭（AC）注入已被认为是去除烟气中Hg ⁰最有效的控制技术之一。值得探索低成本、高汞去除能力的新的、简单的活性炭制备方法。在这项研究中，使用 ZnCl ₂从 Levant 棉花外果皮成功制备了基于生物质的活性炭激活。通过固定床实验研究了汞的吸附效率和机理。研究了模拟燃煤烟气的活化剂、反应温度和组分。Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)、具有能量色散 X 射线光谱法 (SEM-EDX) 和 X 射线光电子能谱 (XPS) 的扫描电子显微镜被应用于制备的活性炭的形态表征和可能的吸附机制的讨论. 讨论了吸附的汞种类和制备的活性炭的理化性质。结果表明：（1）在模拟烟气（SFG）条件下，150℃时Hg ⁰去除率可达90%；(2)Hg ⁰吸附受物理和化学机制的共同控制。