REDUCTION OF NO{sub x} VIA COAL COMBUSTION CATALYSTS

Air pollution is a growing concern for both the US government and its citizens. Current legislation is moving in the direction of lower emissions standards for the major pollutants, SO{sub x} and NO{sub x}. The work performed under this DOE grant focused on finding a catalyst that, when added to coal, will effectively reduce the amount of NO{sub x} produced during combustion. The test program was divided into four major tasks: (1) evaluating the impact of a combustion catalyst on nitrogen release; (2) optimizing catalyst formulation; (3) preparing a preliminary economic evaluation; and (4) outlining future test plans, costs and schedule. More than 100 bench-scale, proof-of-concept tests were completed with more than 30 different catalysts, using two different coal types, River Hill Pittsburgh 8 (River Hill) and PRB, under oxidizing and reducing conditions. The results showed that catalysts were effective in increasing, by more than 30%, the nitrogen gas (N{sub 2}) release in River Hill Pittsburgh 8 coal and more than 20% in the PRB coal. Preliminary economics suggest this technology is comparable with current combustion NO{sub x} control technologies such as overfire air addition, SNCR and reburning. Pilot-scale tests are planned in a system with low-NO{sub x} burners to further evaluate the technology