To date, technology for the removal of elementary mercury adsorbed on carbon steel surfaces with very minimum iron (Fe) leaching is apparently missing. In this study, the oxidation reaction of mono-peroxyacetic acid (PAA) was used in the presence of Ru/Mn/Al2O3 catalyst to enhance the treatment removal. The obtained results revealed that the PAA alone could reduce 91% of Hg° removal in 3 h. Interestingly, with the presence of Ru/Mn/Al2O3 catalyst calcined at 1000°C, the PAA managed to remove almost 99% of Hg° at the same treatment time with the lowest Fe leaching of 17 ppm.
