Described herein is a method of removing mercury from an aqueous solution comprising: providing an aqueous solution comprising chloramine and mercury; and contacting the aqueous solution with a medium comprising a porous carbon substrate comprising at least 1. A method of producing the plate comprises providing front and back layers, applying binder material to the pellets and the layers, and heating the binder material to form the matrix and bind the front and back layers thereto. The heater driver regulates the energy to the heated component based on the electrical resistance of that component as a function of temperature and a predetermined reference value for that temperature.