Emission alternatives

While the use of low-sulfur fuels is one mechanism to reduce sulfur dioxide emission, alternatively most approaches focus on scrubbing or ridding the emissions in smoke stacks of sulfur dioxide gas. A number of different types of scrubbers, i.e., sulfur dioxide removal systems, are available for industry. One system sprays the flue gas into a liquid solution of sodium hydroxide. The hydroxide combines with SO2 and O2 to form the corresponding sulfate which can be removed from the aqueous solution ... 

Sarofim, A. F., "Flame Emissivities Alternative Fuels," Alternative Hydrocarbon Fuels Combustion and Chemical Kinetics, Vol. 62, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, C. T. Bowman and J. Birkeland, Editors, 1977. 

Sequestration will only be considered if it is cheaper than the alternatives for reducing CO2 emissions. Alternative forms of energy, including wind and nuclear energy, limit the acceptable price of CO2 sequestration. 

The simplest approach is to react the CO2 with H2 and convert it into additional CO which can be processed in the FT reactor. However a source for the H2 needs to be found. If it is generated by processing of natural gas, there will likely be no net benefit in GHG emissions. Alternatively, H2 can be produced by processing the FT naphtha in a naphtha reformer to produce aromatics and a H2 rich by-product gas stream. The aromatics can be used in gasoline or petrochemicals. The H2 and the CO2 (either in the entire tail gas stream or as a separate component) can then be processed in the stream reformer (or a separate shift reactor) to form additional CO. Water is separated. Further details of this concept are presented elsewhere . 

The use of new surfactants reduced acid aerosol emissions. Alternative methods of ventilation were attempted to improve the in-plant working conditions. Gravity systems drawing fresh air from below the cells, gravity systems drawing fresh air from above the cells, mechanical systems supplying air from below the cells and mechanical exhaust systems removing air from the roof were all attempted in a number of combinations in different plants. 

The authors thank the Low Emission Alternative Power Project for funding. REFERENCES... 

It is instructive to compare the scale of these technologies with current low-C02-emission alternatives. Nuclear and biomass are both used at very large scale, accounting for 9% and 3% of U.S. primary energy, respectively, but solar and wind are much smaller—0.08% and 0.04% respectively (Energy Information Administration, 1998). In comparison the Dakota Weyburn project alone sequesters 0.03% of U.S. CO2 emissions, and all of the key enabling technologies listed above are in use at scales that far exceed the current scale of wind and solar. 

Park, J.-W., Park, S.J., Kim, Y.-H., Shin, D.-C., You, H., Kwon, S.-K. Pure color and stable blue-light emission-alternating copolymer based on fluorene and dialkoxynaphthalene. Polymer 50, 102-106 (2009)... 

Concept 3 does not require any infrastructural changes for its supply and thus would be the ideal starter scenario. On the other hand, it prevents the introduction of renewable energy sources into the transport sector as true zero emission alternative. 

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