Patent ID: 8168147

Claim:
A method for separating mercury from a mercury containing gas comprising: (a) promoting at least a portion of a particulate sorbent material comprising activated carbon by chemically reacting the sorbent material with a bromine containing promoter to form a promoted brominated sorbent, wherein the bromine containing promoter is in gaseous form, vapor form, or non-aqueous liquid form, and wherein the activated carbon contains graphene sheets having carbene species edge sites which react with the bromine containing promoter to form a carbocation paired with a bromide anion in the promoted brominated sorbent for oxidation of the mercury; (b) chemically reacting elemental mercury in the mercury containing gas with the promoted brominated sorbent to form a mercury/sorbent chemical composition; and (c) separating particulates from the mercury containing gas, the particulates including ash and the mercury/sorbent chemical composition.