A mercury removal apparatus for removing the metal mercury in an flue gas containing the metal mercury and halogen, including an electro discharging device including a first electrode and a second electrode facing the first electrode, and activating the mercury by generating a streamer discharge, an oxidizing catalyst device provided at an output of the electro discharging device, to oxidize the mercury by reacting with halogen in the flue gas.

The invention features solutions of water-soluble, oxygen-resistant redox-active species circulated in flow cells to electrochemically capture CO.sub.2 from air or flue gas and release pure CO.sub.2. The method is safe, scalable, and potentially inexpensive, as it utilizes non-volatile and potentially low-cost redox organic and inexpensive inorganic species and can operate at ambient temperature and pressure and can operate at high current densities.

A catalytic system for CO.sub.2 capture and sequestration. The system includes a reduction cell for separating a liquid or vapor carrier medium having an anode generating oxygen, a CO.sub.2 cathode, and a CO precursor generating hydrogen, oxides of carbon or a hydrocarbon precursor from the carrier medium. In addition, the system includes a power supply for providing electrical power to the anode and the cathode. An electrolysis process occurs where oxygen, hydrogen, and the hydrocarbon precursors are produced. The anode and the cathode include a plurality of geometrical constructs to increase an active surface area of a catalytic surface of the anode and cathode to increase an efficiency of the electrolysis process.

An improved apparatus for the separation of gas or gas-vapor, as well as simultaneous product transformation or conversion of one or more of the separated gas or gas-vapor species, includes modification of a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube to include an electric field internal to the vortex tube, created either by an applied potential or induced by temperature-dependent triboelectric effects, or a combination of both. The electric field is used to enhance separation of gaseous components, with particular emphasis on separation of CO.sub.2 from a gaseous mixture, and to promote subsequent conversion of the resulting separated gaseous product or products.

A method of making an electrode including dissolving a copper (Cu) salt and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate in a solvent and heating to a temperature of 60 C. to 100 C. to form a framework. Further, the method includes mixing a zinc (Zn) salt and the framework to form a zinc-doped framework and heating the zinc-doped framework to a temperature of 300 C. to 600 C. under air to form ZnCuO nanoparticles. Furthermore, the method includes mixing the ZnCuO nanoparticles, a binding compound, and a conductive carbon compound in a solvent to form a suspension and spraying the suspension onto a substrate with a spray gun using air pressure to form the electrode. The ZnCuO nanoparticles have a spherical shape with an average size of less than 100 nanometers (nm).

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a composition and a catalyst for substantially continuous CO.sub.2 capture and reduction from dilute CO.sub.2 sources including flue gas, wherein the flux of CO.sub.2 captured is substantially equal to the flux of CO.sub.2 reduction. The system can comprise integrated CO.sub.2 capture and reduction components. An exemplary system includes a composition of a catalyst and electrolytes. The catalyst can comprise supported or unsupported mesh electrodes that comprise Cu, a CuAl alloy, and/or a copper oxide. In one aspect, the system includes one or more membranes separating an anodic side from a cathodic side in the system, where the one or more membranes can be a bipolar membrane, an anion exchange membrane, or both, which can reduce or eliminate Cl.sub.2 production. In exemplary embodiments, the value-added products can be selected from CO, CH.sub.4, C.sub.2H.sub.4, C.sub.2H.sub.5OH, CH.sub.3COOH, CH.sub.3OH, C.sub.3H.sub.6, and/or H.sub.2.

[Problem] The present invention provides a dinitrogen oxide purification system, an internal combustion engine system, and a dinitrogen oxide purification method, which make it easy to obtain sufficient effects of decomposing or reducing dinitrogen oxide.

[Solution] The dinitrogen oxide purification system 10 includes an intake section 14 and a purification section 1. The intake section 14 takes in dinitrogen oxide in the presence of coexisting O.sub.2 and/or H.sub.2O. The purification section 1 decomposes or reduces the dinitrogen oxide taken into the intake section 14.

Electrochemical devices including electrochemically-driven carbon dioxide separators are disclosed, the devices including electrodes comprised of an anion exchange polymer and a charge storage compound such as nickel hydroxide and a membrane comprising an anion exchange polymer, the membrane having a channel for inflow of a carbon dioxide-containing gas within the membrane.