A Carbon-Polymer Matrix Based Flue Gas Purification Technology

The current flue gas purification technologies are expensive, energy intensive, and secondary pollution generating. Most of these technologies only remove a single pollutant from flue gases. For example, the prevailing limestone-based scrubber not only is expensive and energy consuming, but also generates a large amount of liquid and solid wastes. The goal of the Phase I research project was to establish the feasibility of using the carbon-polymer matrix (CPM) material for flue gas purification applications. The proposed CPM material removes sulfur dioxide (SO2), mercury vapor (both elemental mercury and mercury oxide), and fine particles simultaneously from flue gas. Because of its unique physical-chemical properties, the material removes SO2 by converting it into concentrated sulfuric acid without requiring a complicated material-regeneration process. It also removes mercury vapor by a chemical-fixation process and removes fine particles by a surface-filtration process. Phase I clearly established the feasibility of using CPM material for flue gas purification applications. During Phase I, the CPM materials were synthesized and characterized, the unique acid solution-expelling capability or the self-regenerative capability of the CPM material was demonstrated, very high flue gas SO2 and mercury removal efficiencies (more than 97 percent) were achieved, and the long-term performance stability of flue gas purification was observed. Based on the success of the Phase I project, the goal of Phase II is to further develop and commercialize this innovative technology. During the Phase II project, the CPM material synthesis will be optimized and scaled up, the CPM-based flue gas purification system will be studied and designed, a prototype unit will be constructed, and a small-scale field demonstration will be carried out. If successful, an innovative coal-burning flue gas purification technology will be developed and commercialized. Compared with the current technologies, this technology has the advantages of simplicity, low cost, multipollutant removal, and high efficiency. It will make flue gas pollution abatement much simpler and more affordable.