Patent ID: 7767002

Claim:
A method of removing mercury from a fluid stream comprising mercury, said method comprising the step of: (a) contacting said fluid stream with a porous ZrO 2 support material having incorporated onto, into, or onto and into a vanadium containing compound for sorption of at least a portion of said mercury; wherein said mercury in said fluid stream is not in the form of a compound and the porous ZrO 2 support material having the vanadium containing compound incorporated is not exposed to temperatures above 375° C. prior to and during the contacting; (b) saturating with the mercury the ZrO 2 support material having incorporated onto, into, or onto and into the vanadium containing compound; and (c) replacing the ZrO 2 support material having incorporated onto, into, or onto and into the vanadium containing compound when said ZrO 2 support material is saturated with the mercury, wherein upon the replacing based on the saturating a ratio of mercury atoms sorbed to vanadium atoms is at least 1:3.