STTR Phase II: Feasibility of On-line Metalloid Recovery in Gasification Systems

This Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR) Phase II project will demonstrate the ability to selectively condense and recover deposits rich in a valuable element from the gas-cooling regions of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants. Deposits plugging gas-cooling heat exchangers in commercial coal IGCC systems are rich in a valuable element. The work will involve the design and construction of a pilot-scale on-line metalloid recovery (OMR) system that will be tested at bench scale on simulated synthesis gas, and on slipstreams from small-scale gasifiers. Phase II work will determine the effects of particulate matter and pressurized systems on the ability to concentrate and remove the valuable element from the gas stream. The on-line recovery of deposits rich in a valuable element will have two distinct commercial benefits. The first benefit is the cost savings associated with eliminating down time required for cleaning. By eliminating one cleaning outage, a gasification plant could save $4.9 million. The second benefit is the creation of an additional revenue stream from the recovery of these deposits, which can be sold to a recycler.