Mercury removal over Ce-doped LaCoO3 supported on CeO2 at low temperatures from coal combustion flue gas

•Ce-doped LaCoO3 supported on CeO2 was employed for mercury removal from coal-fired power plant.•Ce can be successfully doped into the LaCoO3 crystal lattice via a sol–gel method.•Approaching 100% Hg0 removal efficiency was observed in the presence of O2.•H2O and SO2 reduced the Hg0 removal efficiency due to competitive adsorption.