EVALUATION OF A COST-EFFECTIVE CATALYST FOR USE IN COMBINED SO2, NOX, AND PARTICULATE CONTROL SYSTEMS

THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF A SINGLE AIR POLLUTION CONTROLDEVICE FOR SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2), NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX), AND PARTICULATE CONTROL CAN PROVIDE A COST-EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH 1990 AMENDMENTS TO THE CLEAN AIR ACT FOR COAL-FIRED UTILITY BOILERS. THE TECHNOLOGY FOR COMBINED COLLECTION OF BOTH SO2 AND PARTICULATES IS READILY AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, TO COMBINE NOX CONTROL WITH SUCH SYSTEMS HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETELY SUCCESSFUL. SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES USING FIXED CATALYSTS ARE CAPABLE OF HIGH EFFICIENCY REMOVAL OF NOX. HOWEVER, PRESENTCATALYSTS HAVE A LIMITED LIFETIME BECAUSE OF FOULING FROM PARTICULATES AND POISONING FROM EFFLUENT CONSTITUENTS. REPLACEMENT OF THE CATALYST IS COSTLY AND REPRESENTS A LOSS IN REVENUE BECAUSE OF THE REQUIRED DOWNTIME OF THE UNIT. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS INVESTIGATING AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF CATALYST FOR NOX REDUCTION THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO A COMBINED CONTROL TECHNOLOGY FOR PARTICULATES, SO2, AND NOX. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE CATALYST ARE THAT (1) EXPENSIVE MANUFACTURING COSTS ARE LESSENED, (2) CATALYST FOULINGOR POISONING ARE NOT PROBLEMS AND, (3) THE UNIT DOES NOT HAVE TO EXPERIENCE DOWNTIME WHILE A FOULED, POISONED, OR SPENT CATALYST IS REPLACED. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF PHASE I ARETO DETERMINE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY AND ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE OF THE CATALYST IN AN NOX REDUCTION PROCESS. THESE DATA ARE COMPARED TO DATA FROM PROCESSES THAT USE A SOLID CATALYST AND, IF THE ECONOMICS ARE FAVORABLE, THE RESULTS ARE USED TO DESIGN A SCALED-UP TEST FIXTURE FOR PHASE II.