Patent ID: 8512655

Claim:
A method for separating mercury from a mercury-containing gas stream, the method comprising: contacting a particulate carbon including at least some graphene and a promoter selected from the group consisting of an elemental halogen, a group V halide, a group VI halide, a hydrohalide, and combinations thereof, to form a promoted sorbent particulate, modifying at least some edge structures of at least some of the graphene of the particulate carbon with the promoter to form carbocations, wherein some of the modified edge structures of the graphene accept electrons from neutral mercury atoms; contacting the promoted sorbent particulate with a mercury stabilizing agent to form a bifunctional sorbent particulate; contacting the mercury-containing gas stream and the bifunctional sorbent particulate to form a stabilized mercury/bifunctional sorbent particulate; and separating at least a portion of the stabilized mercury/bifunctional sorbent particulate from the gas stream.