Simultaneous removal of gaseous CO and elemental mercury over Cu-Co modified activated coke at low temperature.

• Cu-CoOx/AC N were optimized for synergetic-catalysis removal of CO and Hg0 at low-temperature (<200 °C). • CoO ⇌ Co 3 O 4 and Cu 2 O ⇌ CuO were benefit for CO oxidation by Co– and Hg0 removal by Cu-species. • Hg0 removal followed the combination processes of adsorption and catalytic oxidation via L-H mechanism. • Catalysis-oxidation of CO to CO 2 abided by the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism with lattice oxygen species. Cu-Co multiple-oxides modified on HNO 3 -pretreated activated coke (AC N) were optimized for the simultaneous removal of gaseous CO and elemental mercury (Hg0) at low temperature (< 200 °C). It was found that 2%CuOx-10%CoOx/AC N catalyst calcined at 400°C resulted in the coexistence of complex oxides including CuO, Cu 2 O, Co 3 O 4 , Co 2 O 3 and CoO phases, which might be good for the simultaneous catalytic oxidation of CO by Co-species and removal of Hg0 by Cu-species, benefiting from the synergistic catalysis during the electro-interaction between Co and Cu cations (CoO ⇌ Co 3 O 4 and Cu 2 O ⇌ CuO). The catalysis removal of CO oxidation was obviously depended on the reaction temperature obtaining 94.7% at 200 °C, while no obvious promoting effect on the Hg0 removal (68.3%-78.7%). These materials were very substitute for the removal of CO and Hg° from the flue gas with the conditions of 8–20 vol.% O 2 and flue-gas temperature below 200 °C. The removal of Hg° followed the combination processes of adsorption and catalytic oxidation reaction via Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, while the catalysis of CO abided by the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism with lattice oxygen species. Image, graphical abstract Synergetic-catalysis mechanisms for the oxidation of gaseous CO and Hg0 were proposed over Cu-CoOx/AC N catalyst, in which the removal of Hg° followed the combination processes of adsorption and catalytic oxidation reaction via Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism, while the catalysis of CO-to-CO 2 abided by the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism with lattice oxygen species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]