SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION OF NOX WITH METHANE

NITROGEN OXIDES (NO AND NO2 OR NOX) ARE AMONG THE MOST PERVASIVE AND DIFFICULT EMISSIONS TO CONTROL. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE NO COMMERCIAL CATALYTIC PROCESSES CAPABLE OF DECOMPOSING NOX WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF A REDUCING GAS. CURRENT SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) SYSTEMS FOR USE IN OXIDIZING ENVIRONMENTS USE AMMONIA AS THE REDUCING AGENT. AMMONIA SCR REQUIRES THE HANDLING OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF TOXIC GASES, TIGHT TEMPERATURE CONTROL, RELATIVELY HIGH REACTION TEMPERATURES, AND REQUIRES LARGE AMOUNTS OF CATALYST BECAUSE OF THE RELATIVELY LOW REACTION RATES. AN SCR CATALYST WHICH COULD USE METHANE INSTEAD OF AMMONIA COULD LOWER THE COST AND DIFFICULTY OF HANDLING THE REDUCING AGENT, AND IF IT HAD HIGHER ACTIVITY THAN CURRENT CATALYSTS, WOULD REDUCE THE CATALYST COST AND DECREASE THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE. TDA RESEARCH, INC., HAS IDENTIFIED A FAMILY OF SCR CATALYSTS WHICH HAVE HIGH REACTION RATES AT 100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE AND USE METHANE AS A REDUCING AGENT. THEY WILL SYNTHESIZE AND CHARACTERIZE A RANGE OF SUCH CATALYSTS, TEST THEM TO DETERMINE THEIR ACTIVITY AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE, NO AND CH4 CONCENTRATIONS, CARRY OUT DETAILED KINETIC ANALYSES AND LONG TERM TESTING OF THE BEST CATALYSTS, AND PERFORM A PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY MERIT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.