Research progress and application prospects of modified clay materials for flue gas pollutants purification

The flue gas pollutants emitted from industrial flue gas and automobile exhaust have serious harm to atmospheric environment and human health. Therefore, it is important to study the control and purification of flue gas pollutants. At present, adsorption and catalytic methods are extensively employed for the elimination of flue gas pollutants. Clay minerals, as a kind of substances widely existing in nature, have unique physical and chemical properties that make them great application in many fields, especially in the field of flue gas pollutants removal. This review presents the types and structures of common clay minerals and their modification methods. It depicts recent advances in the use of modified clay materials to remove flue gas pollutants, highlighting the adsorption performance and adsorption mechanism for CO2, SO2 and VOCs, as well as the catalytic performance and catalytic mechanism for NOx and VOCs of modified clay materials. In addition, this paper also focuses on the recycling of polluted gases and their conversion into value-added products. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of clay mineral materials in flue gas pollutant removal are introduced. This review provides new insights into using clay materials as adsorption and catalytic materials for flue gas pollutants removal.