Flue gas purification system and process using a sorbent polymer composite material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9827551-B2
Application number	US-201615051853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2016
Priority date	Feb 27, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

This invention provides a method of removing sulfur oxides, mercury vapor and other contaminants from a flue gas stream and a flue gas treatment device comprising a sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support and a durable halogen source adjacent the sorbent polymer composite substrate. The halogen source comprises a compound with a quaternary ammonium halogen salt that is not washed away.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flue gas treatment device, comprising:
a sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support, and
a tri-halide halogen source adjacent said sorbent polymer composite substrate,
wherein said halogen source has a Langmuir equilibrium constant greater than 10.

2. The flue gas treatment device of claim 1 , wherein, said high surface area support comprises a member selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, silica gel, zeolite and combinations thereof.

3. The flue gas treatment device of claim 2 , wherein said activated carbon is selected from the group consisting of a coal-based carbon, and wood-based carbon and a coconut-based carbon.

4. The flue gas treatment device of claim 2 , wherein said activated carbon is derived from a carbonaceous material.

5. The flue gas treatment device of claim 1 , wherein said tri-halide halogen source is tetrabutylammonium tri-iodide.

6. The flue gas treatment device of claim 1 , wherein said tri-halide halogen source is tetrabutylammonium tri-bromide.

7. The flue gas treatment device of claim 1 , said halogen source comprising a compound with a formula: N(R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 )X, wherein N is nitrogen and X=I 3 − , BrI 2 − ,Br 2 I − , or Br 3 − and wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms.

8. The flue gas treatment device of claim 1 , wherein said polymer of said sorbent polymer composite substrate comprises PTFE.

9. A flue gas treatment device, comprising:
a sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support, and
a tri-halide halogen source adjacent said sorbent polymer composite substrate, said halogen source comprising tetrabutylammonium halogen salt and wherein the halogen is selected from the group I 3 − , BrI 2 − , Br 2 I − , and Br 3 − .

10. A flue gas treatment device, comprising:
a sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support, and
a tri-halide halogen source adjacent said sorbent polymer composite substrate, said halogen source comprising a compound with a formula: N(R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 )X, wherein X=I 3 − , BrI 2 − , Br 2 I − , or Br 3 − and wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms where the hydrocarbon is an alkyl.

11. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said tri-halide halogen source has a Langmuir equilibrium constant of greater than 10.

12. The flue, gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said high surface area support comprises a member selected from the group consisting of activated carbon silica gel, zeolite and combinations thereof.

13. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said activated carbon is selected from the group consisting of a coal-based carbon, and wood-based carbon and a coconut-based carbon.

14. The flue gas treatment device of claim 13 , wherein said activated carbon is derived from a carbonaceous material.

15. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said tri-halide halogen source is tetrabutylammonium tri-iodide.

16. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said tri-halide halogen source is tetrabutylammonium tri-bromide.

17. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said alkyl contains from 4 to 6 carbon atoms.

18. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein X=BrI 2 − or Br 2 I.

19. The flue gas treatment device of claim 10 , wherein said polymer composite comprises PTFE.

20. A flue gas treatment device, comprising:
a sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support, and a tri-halide halogen source adjacent said sorbent polymer composite substrate, said halogen source comprising a compound with a formula: N(R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 )X, wherein X is a tri-halide and wherein said tri-halide is formed from its halide precursor by acid treatment in the presence of an oxidizer, and wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms.

21. The flue gas treatment device of claim 20 , wherein said hydrocarbon is an alkyl.

22. The flue gas treatment device of claim 20 wherein said oxidizer is selected from a group consisting of hydrogen, peroxide, an alkali metal persulfate, an alkali metal monopersulfate, potassium iodate, oxygen, iron(III) salts, iron (III) nitrate, iron(III) sulfate, iron(III) oxide and combinations thereof.

23. The flue, gas treatment device of claim 20 wherein said acid is produced by oxidation of SO 2 in the flue gas.

24. A process for removing sulfur oxides and mercury vapor from a gas stream comprising the following steps:
passing said gas stream containing sulfur oxides and mercury vapor over a sorbent polymer composite substrate and a tri-halide halogen source in the presence of oxygen and water vapor, said sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support, and said tri-halide halogen source being adjacent said sorbent polymer composite substrate, wherein said tri-halide halogen source has a Langmuir equilibrium constant greater than 10;
reacting said sulfur oxides with said oxygen and water vapor on said sorbent polymer composite substrate to form sulfuric acid; and
reacting said mercury vapor with said tri-halide halogen source and chemically adsorbing and fixing molecules of said mercury vapor on said sorbent polymer composite substrate.

25. The process of claim 24 , wherein said water vapor is added to said gas as stream upstream of said sorbent polymer composite substrate.

26. A process for removing sulfur oxides and mercury vapor from a flue gas stream comprising the steps of:
passing said gas stream containing sulfur oxides and mercury vapor over a sorbent polymer composite substrate and a tri-halide halogen source in the presence of oxygen and water vapor, said sorbent polymer composite substrate comprising a high surface area support, and said halogen source being adjacent said sorbent polymer composite substrate, wherein said halogen source has a formula: N(R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 )X, wherein N is nitrogen, and X=I 3 − , BrI 2 − , Br 2 I − , or Br 3 − and wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon having from about 1 to about 18 carbon atoms and the hydrocarbon is an alkyl;
reacting said sulfur oxides with said oxygen and water vapor on said sorbent polymer composite substrate to form sulfuric acid; and
reacting said mercury vapor with said halogen source and chemically adsorbing and fixing molecules of said mercury vapor on said sorbent polymer composite substrate.

27. The process of claim 26 , wherein said water vapor is added to said gas stream upstream of said sorbent polymer composite substrate.

28. The process for treating flue gas of claim 26 , wherein the tri-halide halogen source is a halide that is converted to a tri-halide in the presence of sulfuric acid and an oxidizer.

29. The process for treating flue gas of claim 28 , wherein said oxidizer is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide, alkali metal persulfate, alkali metal monopersulfate, potassium iodate, oxygen, iron(III) salts, iron (III) nitrate, iron(III) sulfate, iron(III) oxide and combinations thereof.

30.

Assignees

• Gore & Ass

Inventors

• Hardwick Steve
• Lu Xiao-Chun

Classifications

• B01D53/81 Primary

  Solid phase processes · CPC title

• B01D53/64

  Heavy metals or compounds thereof, e.g. mercury · CPC title

• B01D2257/602

  Mercury or mercury compounds · CPC title

• B01D53/508 Primary

  by treating the gases with solids · CPC title

• B01J20/261 Primary

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds (macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds per se C08F) · CPC title