Project Title: Catalytic degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of coal combustion emissions

Project Type: National Key Technology R&D Program of The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China

Project No.2008BAC32B03

Project Awardee: Chen Jinsheng

Project Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of concern because some compounds have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. PAHs are generated by incomplete combustion of organic material arising, like industrial production, transportation, waste incineration and so on. However, the coal-fired boiler is a major stationary source of PAHs emission. PAHs are kinds of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which are difficult to degrade. Some reports suggested that the efficiency of degradation of PAHs can be improved with some specific catalyst.

China has the world’s largest production and combustion of coal, making big contribution on regional and global emission of PAHs. It is expected that the coal production and combustion would be increasing because of the expanding energy demand of industrialization and urbanization.

In this research, noble metal is employed as active element of catalyst, which is loaded on multi-carrier of CeO₂ and Al₂O₃ for abatement of PAHs in flue gas. Efficiency of different kinds of noble metals based catalyst on the conversion of PAHs would be experimented in a tube quartz furnace, and the physico-chemical properties of catalyst would also be characterized and tested for improving the method of catalyst preparation. We will discuss the mechanism of catalytic degradation of PAHs, and make a small-scale of decomposition technology for PAHs in flue gas emitted from coal combustion.

Period of Project: 2009.01-2011.12

Fund of Project: 221,000 RMB