Toxic substances from coal combustion -- A comprehensive assessment
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 identify a number of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) as candidates for regulation. Should regulations be imposed on HAP emissions from coal-fired power plants, a sound understanding of the fundamental principles controlling the formation and partitioning of toxic species during coal combustion will be needed. With support from the Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC), the Electric Power Research Institute, and VTT (Finland), Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has teamed with researchers from USGS, MIT, the University of Arizona (UA), the University of Kentucky (UK), the University of Connecticut (UC), the University of Utah (UU) and the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) to develop a broadly applicable emissions model useful to regulators and utility planners. The new Toxics Partitioning Engineering Model (ToPEM) will be applicable to all combustion conditions including new fuels and coal blends, low-NOx combustion systems, and new power generation plants. Development of ToPEM will be based on PSI's existing Engineering Model for Ash Formation (EMAF). This report covers the period from 1 April 1999 to 30 June 1999. During this quarter low temperature ashing and elemental analysis of the three Phase II coals were completed. Results from MIT and USGS are comparable. Plans were made for measurements of loss of trace elements during devolatilization and for single particle combustion studies at the University of Utah. The iodated charcoal trap was tested on coal combustion flue gas and was shown to collect both Hg and Se in from the vapor phase with 100% efficiency. Data from the University of Arizona self-sustained combustor were analyzed from the combustion of three coals: Ohio, Wyodak and Illinois No. 6. Ash size distributions and enrichment factors for selected trace elements were calculated. The correlation between the concentration of the more volatile trace elements in the ash and the concentration of major elements such as calcium and aluminum was also examined. Work continued at the University of Utah toward the measurement of chlorine speciation in flue gas. The flat flame burner system for the study of mercury chemistry is nearly complete at the University of Connecticut. XAFS analysis by the University of Kentucky indicated that vapor phase HgCl{sub 2} was adsorbed by char samples as HgCl{sub 2} (i.e., physisorption), whereas vapor phase Hg{sub 0} must react (chemisorption) with species on the char surface to form a chemical complex. Hg-laden and desorbed fly-ash samples obtained from a power plant were separated into carbon-rich and carbon-poor fractions by triboelectrostatic separation.
- Research Organization:
- Federal Energy Technology Center, Morgantown, WV (US); Federal Energy Technology Center, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-95PC95101
- OSTI ID:
- 775208
- Report Number(s):
- DE--AC22-95PC95101-14
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
TOXIC SUBSTANCES FROM COAL COMBUSTION
Toxic substances from coal combustion -- A comprehensive assessment. Quarterly report, October 1, 1996--December 31, 1996
Toxic substances from coal combustion -- A comprehensive assessment
Technical Report
·
Mon May 10 00:00:00 EDT 1999
·
OSTI ID:8985
Toxic substances from coal combustion -- A comprehensive assessment. Quarterly report, October 1, 1996--December 31, 1996
Technical Report
·
Thu Jan 30 23:00:00 EST 1997
·
OSTI ID:503512
Toxic substances from coal combustion -- A comprehensive assessment
Technical Report
·
Sun Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1999
·
OSTI ID:757425