A LOW COST CATALYTIC CERAMIC FILTER FOR SIMULTANEOUS NOX ANDPARTICULATE CONTROL

A NUMBER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRESENCE OF NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX) FORMED DURING THE ATMOSPHERIC COMBUSTION OF COAL. NOX COMPOUNDS HAVE BEEN LINKED TO DEFORESTATION AND VEGETATION DAMAGE AS WELL AS OZONE FORMATION. RECENT AMENDMENTS TO THECLEAN AIR ACT MANDATE THAT POWERPLANTS REDUCE NOX EMISSIONS BY 2 MILLION TONS PER YEAR; THE EPA WILL BE PROMULGATING SPECIFIC REGULATIONS BY MAY 1992. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT IN THE U.S. OF COMBUSTION MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS LOW NOX BURNERS, POST-COMBUSTION NOX CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) HAVE YET TO BE APPLIED ON A SIGNIFICANT SCALE TO COAL-FIRED PLANTS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL, LOW COST CATALYTIC CERAMIC FILTER DEVICE FOR SIMULTANEOUS NOX AND PARTICULATE CONTROL REPRESENTS AN ECONOMICALLY FAVORABLE ALTERNATIVE TO SCR TECHNOLOGIES. DURING PHASE I, A NOVEL, LOW COST CATALYTIC CERAMIC FILTER IS BEING DEVELOPED, IN WHICH A CERAMIC FLUE GAS PARTICULATE FILTER IS IMPREGNATED WITH A NOX REDUCTION CATALYST. THE CATALYTIC FILTER DEVICE IS TO BE DELIVERED TO THE COAL COMBUSTION TEST FACILITY OF EXXON RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY IN BAYTOWN, TX, FOR DEMONSTRATION OF NOX AND PARTICULATE REMOVAL EFFICIENCY. INPHASE II, CATALYST AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION USING FULL SIZE CATALYTIC FILTER DEVICES IS TO BE UNDERTAKEN. LONG-TERM DURABILITY TESTING IS TO BE CONDUCTED AT A USER SITE.