Non-Catalytic NOx Removal from Gas Turbine Exhaust with Cyanuric Acid in a Recirculating Reactor; Small Scale Evaluation and Industrial Application

A novel SNC technique to remove oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from stationary gas turbine exhaust has been investigated and applied. The technique employs the use of cyanuric acid (CYA), a non-toxic, dry powder, combined with the injection of auxiliary turbine fuel and recirculation. During the initial investigation, exhaust, generated by a 150 kW gas turbine, was treated in an insulated recirculation reactor, with a mean residence time of 0.65 to 0.71 seconds and a pressure drop of 660 Pa. In the reactor, autoignition of injected auxiliary gas turbine fuel raises the flue gas temperature to between 700 and 800 ºC. CYA slurry is injected. Temperature rise and NOx reduction occur simultaneously. Load following has been achieved. At all temperatures, significant NOx reduction from initial concentrations of 106 to 124 ppm to as low as 18 ppm at 15% O2 have been observed. However, The process generates N2O emissions, which vary from 45 to 163 ppm, increasing with increasing CYA/NOx ratio. The ratio of N2O formed to NO removed was found to be between 1 to 1.5 to 1. The performance of CYA ((HNCO)3) is compared to that of ammonia (NH3) and urea ((NH2)2CO). A numerical model, which combines a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism with recirculation, has been developed. The model captures all observed trends well and is an invaluable guide to improved understanding of the interactive NOx removal process. The process was then successfully scaled up and applied to a variety of industrial 3.7 MW gas turbines and similarly significant NOx reduction has been achieved

DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF ADVANCED EMISSION CONTROLS FOR THE RETROFIT MARKET

Bringing a diesel retrofit product to market involves two primary phases: development and deployment. Critical product development steps include technology selection, system integration, laboratory and durability testing, and regulatory agency verification work. This initial product development phase is then followed by a deployment phase, which consists of building and managing the infrastructure for installation, distribution, service, sales and warranty support. Building relationships with regulators and air quality program developers is also a critical aspect of the deployment process. A successful path to market requires close cooperation between developer, distributor, customer and regulator

Characterization of cultivated fungi isolated from grape marc wastes through the use of amplified rDNA restriction analysis and sequencing

Microbial assessment of grape marc wastes, the residual solid by-product of the wine-industry, was performed by identifying phylogenetically the fungal culturable diversity in order to evaluate environmental and disposal safety issues and to discuss ecological considerations of applications on agricultural land. Fungal spores in grape marc were estimated to 4.7x10(6) per g dry weight. Fifty six fungal isolates were classified into eight operational taxonomic units (OTUs) following amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and colony morphology. Based on 18S rRNA gene and 5.8S rRNA gene-ITS sequencing, the isolates representing OTUs #1, #2, #3, and #4, which comprised 44.6%, 26.8%, 12.5%, and 5.3%, respectively, of the number of the total isolates, were identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, Bionectria ochroleuca, Haematonectria haematococca, and Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans. The isolates of OTU#5 demonstrated high phylogenetic affinity with Penicillium spp., while members of OTUs #6 and #7 were closer linked with Geotrichum candidum var. citri-aurantii and Mycocladus corymbifer, respectively (95.4 and 97.9% similarities in respect to their 5.8S rRNA gene-ITS sequences). The OTU#8 with a single isolate was related with Aspergillus strains. It appears that most of the fungal isolates are associated with the initial raw material. Despite the fact that some of the species identified may potentially act as pathogens, measures such as the avoidance of maintaining large and unprocessed quantities of grape marc wastes in premises without adequate aeration, together with its suitable biological treatment (e.g., composting) prior to any agriculture-related application, could eliminate any pertinent health risks