REMOVAL OF SO2 AND THE SIMULTANEOUS REMOVAL OF SO2 AND NO FROM SIMULATED FLUE-GAS STREAMS USING DIELECTRIC BARRIER DISCHARGE PLASMAS

A gas-phase oxidation method using dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) has been developed to remove SO2 and to simultaneously remove SO2 and NO from gas streams that are similar to gas streams generated by the combustion of fossil fuels. SO2 and NO removal efficiencies are evaluated as a function of applied voltage, temperature, and concentrations of SO2, NO, H2O(g), and NH3. With constant H2O(g) concentration, both SO2 and NO removal efficiencies increase with increasing temperature from 100 to 160-degrees-C. At 160-degrees-C with 15% by volume H2O(g), more than 95% of the NO and 32% of the SO2 are simultaneously removed from the gas stream. Injection of NH3 into the gas stream caused an increase in SO2 removal efficiency to essentially 100%. These results indicate that DBD plasmas have the potential to simultaneously remove SO2 and NO from gas streams generated by large-scale fossil fuel combustors.