Nanocrystalline Sorbents for Removal of Pollutants From Combustion and Fuel Gases

Keywords:
Nanotechnology, coal-fired utilities, pollution control, mercury, acid gases, sorbents

Abstract:
Coal remains an important source of energy due to its low cost and its abundance in different parts of the World. The U.S. possesses significant deposits of coal and its use is likely to rise since it is a domestic source of energy not affected by price fluctuations or international factors. Currently, coal-fired utilities are the main source of electrical power in the U.S. NanoScale is highly active in the development of sorbents for pollution control in coal-fired and gas-fired systems. Nanocrystalline sorbents, produced by NanoScale and sold under the NanoActive® trade name, offer a substantial reactivity and capacity advantage over competitive technologies, such as activated carbons. Compared to commercial grade (bulk solids) materials, synthetic nanocrystalline sorbents possess significantly enhanced chemical reactivity due to increased surface areas, high porosities, small crystallite sizes, and a large number of atoms on the surface of nanocrystallites which provide active sites for reaction. The included abstract provides examples of utilizing NanoScale materials for pollution control applications. These applications include: sweetening of natural gas, mercury control in combustion and fuel gas environments, and removal of acid gases from coal-fired gas streams.

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Nanotech 2007 Conference Program Abstract