Since 2002, the Combustion Laboratory has been participating in an ongoing carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration research project using an aqueous ammonia scrubbing technology with China and other countries. CO2 produced from combustion sources, such as fossil fuel-fired power plants, is captured from the flue gas. The CO2 reacts with aqueous ammonia to form ammonium bicarbonate (ABC), which can act as a “CO2 carrier” to “transport” CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels to soil structure and crops in the farmlands due to its water solubility. ICSET scientists have investigated the fate of carbon distribution after the ABC fertilizer is applied to soil. It was found that a considerable amount (up to 10%) of the carbon source is absorbed by plants with increased biomass production. The majority of the unused carbon source (up to 76%) percolated into the aquifer to form stable carbonates. Of those 76% carbon, up to 88% was in the form of insoluble salts (i.e., CaCO3) in alkaline soils. Ammonia scrubbing in a slipstream reactor in real flue gas condition is under investigation at the Combustion Laboratory.
The Combustion Laboratory has investigated two approaches aimed at reducing the environmental impact and human health risk associated with animal confined feeding operations. They are (1) maximizing beneficial utilization of animal waste and (2) reducing ammonia emissions from animal feeding operations. Over the past year, ICSET at WKU developed processes for preparing activated carbon from chicken waste and coal for mercury capture. Low-cost activated carbon samples were prepared from a co-process of chicken wastes. Also, a continuous NH3 emission monitoring study of confined feeding operation (CFO) facilities was carried out using 4 commercially available NH3 monitoring systems. During a two-week monitoring period, it was found that the concentration of NH3 in the test poultry house showed an opposite trend to the ambient temperature. High ambient temperature affected the operation of the venting system, which brought air from outside of the test facility and resulted in the observed lowering in NH3 concentration due to dilution.
Kentucky is ranked second in the nation in installed flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubber capacity for coal-fired power plants. As a result, large amounts of FGD by-products are produced annually. An increase in the utilization of FGD by-products (e.g. agricultural land application) creates significant economic opportunities for the state of Kentucky. However, concerns about the release of hazardous elements have inhibited the usage. The Combustion Laboratory is evaluating the environmental impact associated with land application of the FGD by-product. In this project, the emission, leaching, and bioaccumulation of Mercury (Hg) and other environmentally-concerned trace elements (e.g. Arsenic (As), Selenium (Se), and Chromium (Cr)) from soil, which are amended using FGD by-products, will be quantitatively and mechanically determined. The benefit of using FGD by-products in improving plant growth and soil properties will also be systematically demonstrated.
A laboratory scale gasification unit has been constructed at the Combustion Laboratory. The gasification system has developed a number of important gasification programs, including Advanced Gasification Syngas Multi-Contaminant Cleanup Technologies and Novel Gasification Concepts (e.g. chemical looping gasification and co-gasifying coal with CBM to produce a synthesis gas with an adjustable H2/CO ratio). Additional benefits may include economical abatement of sulfur emissions and the production of a potential mercury sorbent. This process is based on some key chemical reaction mechanisms and their cooperative effects.
Other research projects, “Development for Clean Coal Technology-Horizontal Swirling Fluidized Bed Boiler,” and “Application of a Circulating Fluidized Bed Process for the Chemical Looping Combustion of Solid Fuels” are also conducted in this laboratory.
Current Research Projects:
One-step Bio-diesel Production by Synergetic Effect Using Cellulose Biomass and Bio-Oil
Emission Control in the Oxy-fuel Combustion Process
Production of Porous Materials from Waste Coals
Multiple-pollutants Control during Burning of Waste Coals and Solid Wastes in Circulating Fluidized Bed Process
Co-Gasification of High Sulfur Coal with Coal-bed Methane to Produce Synthesis Gas with Adjustable H2/CO Contents for Synthesis of Value Added Chemicals
Development of Clean Coal Technology: Horizontal Swirling Fluidized Bed Boiler
Study of Carbon Dioxide Removal from Flue Gas by Reaction with Aqueous Ammonia
Application of a Circulating Fluidized Bed Process for the Chemical Looping Combustion of Solid Fuels
Maximizing Co-Benefit from Multi-Utilization of Chicken Waste
The China Environmental Health Project
Instrumentation:
0.1MWth circulating fluidized bed combustion system
0.6MWth bench scale multi-functional circulation fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) system
2.5” ID multiple-purpose coal gasification unit (1100 0C)
Horizontal circulating fluidized bed cold and hot model
3” I.D. simulated fluidized bed combustor (up to 1100 0C)
2” I.D. tube flow reactor (up to 1100 0C)
1” Fixed Bed reactor (up to 1100 0C)
Simulated selective catalytically Reactor (SCR) system (0.1MW)
Simulated wet flue gas desulfurization system
1” Lab-scale supercritical higher pressure unit
Sulfur trioxide generator
Simulated flue gas generation system
Photoacoustic multi-gas monitor (NH3, CO2, N2O, SO2, HCl and H2O)
Combustion-gas Analyzers (O2, NO, NO2, CO, N2O, SO2, and H2O)
Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
Capabilities
Study pyrolysis, combustion and gasification for different fuels, such as coal, biomass and solid wastes
Carbon dioxide reduction and sequestration
Conduct experiments of cracking reaction for different chemicals
Development and manufacture of lab-scale and pilot-scale reactor
Development and manufacture of cold-model of reactor
Investigate hydrodynamics heat and mass transfer in multiphase flow systems
Process integration on mercury emission control
Development and evaluation of adsorbents for combustion and gasification process
Erosion and corrosion of heat exchange tubes in combustion systems
Selected Publications
Li, Songgeng; Wu, Andy; Deng, Shuang; Pan, Wei-Ping. “Effect of Co-combustion for Chicken Litter and Coal on Emissions in a Laboratory-scale Fluidized Bed Combustor,” Fuel Processing Technology, 2008 , 89, 7-12.
Cheng, Zhongxian; Ma, Youhua; Li, Xin; Zhang, Zhiming; Pan, Wei-Ping. “Investigation of Carbon Distribution with 14C as Tracer for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Sequestration through NH4HC03 Production,” Energy & Fuels, 2007, 27, 3334-3340.
Cui, Hong; Cao, Yan; Pan, Wei-Ping. “Preparation of Activated Carbon for Mercury Capture from Chicken Waste and Coal,” J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis, 2007, 80(2), 319-324.
Lingchuan Li, Yufeng Duan, Yan Cao, Paul Chu, Ron Carty, and Wei-Ping Pan, “Field Corrosion Test for a Low Chromium Steel Carried out at Superheater Area of a Utility Boiler with Three Coals Containing Different Chlorine Contents,” Fuel Processing Technology, 2007, 88, 387-392.
Yan Cao and Wei-Ping Pan, “Investigation of Chemical Looping Combustion by Solid Fuels 1. Process Analysis,” Energy & Fuels, 2006, 20, 1836-1844.
Yan Cao, Bianca Casenas*,and Wei-Ping Pan, “Investigation of Chemical Looping Combustion by Solid Fuels 2. Redox Reaction Kinectics and Product Characterization with Coal, Biomass and Solid Waste as Solid Fuels and CuO as Oxygen Carrier,” Energy & Fuels, 2006, 20, 1845-1854.
Yan Cao, Yang Wang, John T. Riley, and Wei-Ping Pan, “A Novel Biomass Air Gasification Process for Producing Tar-free Higher Heating Value Fuel Gas,” Fuel Processing Technology, 2006, 87, 343-353.
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