A SULFUR DIOXIDE/NITROGEN OXIDES CONTROL SYSTEM FOR INSTITUTIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL COAL-FIRED BOILERS

THIS PROJECT INVOLVES DEVELOPING A NEW, PROMISING, LOW COST EMISSIONS CONTROL PROCESS SUITABLE FOR TREATING POLLUTANTS FROM SMALL- TO MODERATE- SIZED COAL-FIRED COMBUSTORS AND UTILITY POWERPLANTS. THE PROCESS IS BASED ON A NEW FAMILY OF DRY SORBENTS. THE SORBENTS CONSIST OF INEXPENSIVE METAL OXIDES COATED AND BONDED TO INEXPENSIVE SUPPORT MATERIALS WITH HUGE SURFACE AREAS, SUCH AS VERMICULITE OR PERLITE. TWO COMBINATIONS, MGO-VERMICULITE AND CAO-PERLITE, HAVE SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTIES IN LABORATORY AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT UNIT (PDU) TESTS. THE PROCESS VERY EFFECTIVELY REMOVES SO2 AND SOME NOX FROM FLUE GASES. IT ALSO REMOVES FINE PARTICULATES NOT PICKED YP BY A BAGHOUSE OR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR, INCLUDING PARTICULATE MATTER LESS THAN 10 MICRON SIZE (PM10) PARTICLES. THE NEW SORBENTSHAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED SUCCESSFULLY AT THE PDU SCALE (200 TO250 ACTUAL CUBIC FEET PER MINUTE (ACFM)). THE PROJECT'S OBJECTIVE (PHASES I AND II) IS TO SCALE UP AND DEMONSTRATE THE PROCESS AT THE PILOT SCALE. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED IN TWO STEPS. IN THE FIRST STEP (PHASE I), THE PROCESS WILLBE DEMONSTRATED ON A 1,000-ACFM SIDE STREAM OF FLUE GAS AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY'S COAL- FIRED COMBUSTOR STEAM PLANT. IN THE SECOND STEP (PHASE II), THE PROCESS WILL BE SCALED UP FURTHER TO HANDLE ALL OR A LARGE PORTION OF THE FLUE GAS FROM A BOILER (40,000 ACFM). THE SORBENT WILL BE APPLIED AS A MOVING PANEL- BED FILTER OF A NOVEL DESIGN. TWO VERSIONS OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY WILL BE INVESTIGATED. ONE VERSION WILL INVOLVE THROWAWAY SORBENTS, APPLICABLE TO VERY SMALL COMBUSTORS. A SECOND VERSION WILL INVOLVE A SORBENT SYSTEM IN WHICH THE SORBENT IS REGENERABLE AND CAN BE RE-USED.