Novel Supports and Materials for Oxygen Separation and Supply

Current coal gasification and combustion processes employ air for their oxygen needs, a practice that leads to nitrogen oxide formation and dilute product/waste streams that are hard to separate. Technology is needed to provide a more economical, non-cryogenic, and non-membrane-related means of separating, storing, and releasing pure oxygen for use in coal gasification and oxycombustion. By avoiding the use of air, the formation of nitrogen oxides would be eliminated and the resulting product/waste streams would be more concentrated and easier to separate. This project will develop novel supports and metal oxides capable of separating oxygen from air and releasing that oxygen for use in coal gasification and related processes, such as IGCC and oxycombustion. The advantages of this technology include less attrition compared to ceramic or metal-oxide-based supports, large surface area, large oxygen storage capacity, long-term stability, and the absence of costly noble metals. In Phase I, the novel supports will be prepared, followed by synthesis and impregnation of the supports by the mixed metal oxides. Thorough tests on the cyclic oxidation, reduction stability, mechanical strength, oxygen storage capacity, and release capabilities of each supported oxygen carrier will follow. Finally, the preferred oxygen carriers will be optimized. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The utilization of pure oxygen instead of air in coal gasification, and/or oxycombustion, would produce a much more concentrated, easily separated product/waste stream and NOx emissions would be eliminated. Because carbon dioxide is one of the waste products, it also would be easier to separate, thereby reducing the cost of sequestering this greenhouse gas.