Nanocrystalline Materials for Removal of Reduced Sulfur and Nitrogen Compounds from Fuel Gas

Integrated gasification combined cycle, or IGCC, which uses a gasifier to convert coal to fuel gas, and then uses combined cycle power block to generate electricity, is one of the most promising technologies to meet the challenge of generating electricity from coal in an environmentally sustainable way. IGCC has many advantages over traditional technologies including higher efficiency, lower pollutant emissions, and a possibility of carbon capture and sequestration. One of the remaining challenges for the IGCC is the need to develop a cleanup technology to remove reduced sulfur and nitrogen compounds from the hot fuel gas at gasification operating temperatures. NanoScale Materials, Inc. proposes development of nanocrystalline sorbent and catalysts for hot gas cleanup technology to allow for removal of reduced sulfur (H2S and COS) and nitrogen (NH3 and HCN) pollutants from coal-generated fuel gases at gasification operating temperatures. The proposed project has a potential to revolutionize current methods by providing sorbent and catalyst materials that are technically superior to existing materials. Possible applications of the proposed technology include IGCC plants and other pollution control systems. Benefits offered by nanocrystalline sorbents, including enhanced chemical kinetics and increased removal capacities, have been demonstrated for many toxic chemicals and pollutants. Similar effects are expected for removal of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Equally important, the approach proposed by NanoScale utilizes manufacturing methods that are easily scalable, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly. In the proposed project, pollutant removal capacities of various materials will be evaluated experimentally using a gas mixture that realistically resembles real fuel gas composition. The testing will include both laboratory scale experiments, as well as pilot-scale demonstrations in real fuel gas conditions at the Western Research Institute. Sorbents and catalysts will be tailored to selectively react with reduced sulfur and nitrogen compounds present in fuel gas but will be immune to other components of the fuel gas. It is anticipated that the results of the proposed project will clearly demonstrate the advantage of using nanocrystalline materials for hot fuel gas cleanup and the feasibility of the NanoScale approach. In addition, the most promising sorbents and catalysts will be identified allowing for their further development and optimization in the Phase II effort. NanoScale is uniquely qualified for the proposed development since it is a leader in the field of reactive nanocrystalline materials. NanoScale products have demonstrated high effectiveness against numerous toxic chemicals, including fuel gas pollutants mercury and hydrogen sulfide.