A metal mixture lowers the reaction temperature of copper chloride as shown using in situ quick XAFS

Trace chlorinated organic compounds are generated via thermal processes. Their formation is promoted by copper chloride in solid phase such as fly ash, especially in the post-combustion zone in municipal solid waste incineration. Previously, we reported the chemical state and change of copper chloride in a single model using the in situ quick scan x-ray absorption fine structure (QXAFS). However, a real solid phase, which is a complex system involving many elements, was not simulated. In this paper, we measured the Cu-K XAFS of a metal-mixture model upon heating to discuss the effect of mixing. The in situ QXAFS technique revealed that the reaction temperature of copper was lower, compared with the single model, when a mixture was measured. The result shows that the formation mechanism of chlorinated organic compounds derived from anthropogenic thermal sources can be described more correctly.