Energy & Fuels, Vol.16, No.6, 1398-1404, 2002
Dry and semi-dry methods for removal of ammonia from pulverized fuel combustion fly ash
Fly ash from pulverized solid fuel combustion can become contaminated by ammonia during selective catalytic/noncatalytic NOx reduction processes and/or electrostatic precipitator conditioning, resulting in problems with the commercial handling, disposal, and utilization of ash. The present paper investigates the chemistry of a class of postcombustion ammonia removal processes that operate near room temperature and in the dry or semi-dry state. Laboratory experiments are carried out in which ammonia is liberated from fly ash through introduction of controlled amounts of water to the interparticle spaces using static humid air, flowing humid air, and/or flowing fog (water aerosol). Additional experiments explore the possibility of destroying ammonia using ozone as a low-temperature oxidant under both dry and wet conditions, alone or in combination with hydrogen peroxide.