(583di) Application of Reengineered Feedstock for Coal Combustion Emission Control

In the past few decades, coal has been a major source of energy for electricity generation by pulverized coal combustion.  However, burning of coal contributes to emission of carbon dioxide and adverse chemical species.  To reduce the cost of emissions control from pulverized coal combustion, we examine a novel biomass-based feedstock material called ReEngineered Feedstock^TM (ReEF) developed by Recommunity Inc. which can be co-reacted with coal in existing reactors.   ReEF integrates waste materials from local recycling facilities with traditional desulfurization sorbents into a fuel matrix which can be directly injected into a combustor with coal.  The biomass portion of ReEF is combusted for energy generation and the sorbents are released to capture the hazardous gases of coal combustion. Desulfurization performance of ReEF under these conditions is studied in a drop tube reactor. A comprehensive characterization of ReEF including elemental analysis, SEM-EDS, XRD and TGA reveals the compositions of ReEF and the distribution of the sorbents on the biomass support. The reactions of ReEF and sulfur dioxide are studied at various reaction conditions to determine the optimal ReEF design. A laboratory-scale fluidized bed combustor was also constructed for studying the co-firing of ReEF and coal at industrial reaction conditions. Application of ReEF was shown to reduce coal emissions by up to 80% and has significant impact on the economics and environmental impact of coal combustion power plants.