Nano-Enhanced Composite Electrodes for Electrostatic Precipitators

Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are key pollution control devices in air pollution control devices for small oil and coal-fired industrial boilers.  ESPs can operate with an efficiency of 98% to 99% for the removal of mercury and fly ash from the flue gas stream.  With an electrostatic precipitator, fly ash particles are charged electrically as the flue gas passes through the precipitator, allowing the charged particles to be collected on oppositely charged plates typically made of metal.  Metal collection surfaces are extremely heavy with a high installed cost and can easily become corroded. Metal electrodes used in ESPs are extremely heavy with a high installed cost, and they are easily corroded, especially in wet ESP systems.  Polymer, nano-composite electrodes would be less expensive to produce, easier and cheaper to install, and would be corrosion-resistant (and thus, last longer).  Polymer electrodes, however, must be made sufficiently conductive to allow dry collection within an ESP. This project is focused on achieving the same level of efficiency as the current state-of-the-art ESP components, while also being less expensive to produce, easier to install, and longer lasting.  To this end, this project will demonstrate the feasibility and performance of a lightweight, conductive polymer electrode composed of electrically conductive, nano-enhanced polymers. The project team includes Applied Sciences, Inc., one of the world’s leading developers of carbon nanofibers and nano-enhanced products, and Ohio University, which is a leading testing facility for electrostatic precipitators.  Southern Environmental, Inc., a leading ESP builder and retrofitter, will provide free technical support to the project team.