AN IMPROVED NOXSO PROCESS

Coal is the largest source of power generation in the U.S.A. but its conbustionproduces SOx and NOx which must be removed from the flue gas. Current removaltechniques (limestone base Flue Gas Desulfurization and Selective CatalyticReduction) are effective but expensive due to the large amouth of sorbentconsumed. The leading regenerable process is the NOXSO process, which wses asodium aluminate sorbent for the simultaneous removal of NOx and SOx. Becausethe NOXSO sorbent has a low SOx loading, a very high sorbent circulation rate isrequired, causing a high parasitic power consumption, high energy requirementsfor sorbent regeneration, high sorbent attrition, and requireing a high capitalinvestment.TDA Research has identified a method of increasing the SOx loading providing highparticle strength, and preventing the sorbent from breaking during absorption andregeneration. The new sorbent allows them to reduce the sorben circulation rateby a factor of four, thereby reducing tihe parasitic power, fule consumption andcapital cost, and increasing the sorbent life. Phase I will demonstrate thattheir sorbent can be adapted to the NOXSO process, optimize the sorbentcomposition, and extimate the life cost for their improved process.