Sulfur rich porous material for mercury adsorption and thermal insulation

The petroleum refining units produce excess amount of elemental sulfur annually via hydrodesulphurization; however the applications associated with elemental sulfur in bulk is limited except for production of sulfuric acid. Research activities contributing in finding useful applications for excess sulfur is ongoing. Here in we report a simple and versatile approach for the preparation of sulfur foam, which via a porogen and inverse vulcanization process. Elemental sulfurs affinity for elemental mercury and its inherent non-conductive nature towards heat makes it a suitable candidate for mercury adsorption and thermal insulation. Moreover presence of pores and cross-linked structure significantly reduced the thermal conductivity of elemental sulfur. Sulfur foam with 50 wt. % comonomer showed thermal conductivity ∼ 0.048 W/m K which was within the range of commercially available insulators. Additionally, sulfur being reactive to elemental mercury sulfur foam with 20 wt. % comonomer showed an adsorption capacity ∼151 ug/g which was within the range of commercially available carbon materials.