Simultaneous removal of sulfur dioxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from incineration flue gas using activated carbon fibers

Figures & data

Figure 1. Experimental system of fluidized-bed incinerator and activated carbon fibers (ACFs) adsorber: (1) air compressor; (2) flowmeter; (3) combustion chamber; (4) electrical heater; (5) thermal feedback controller; (6) thermocouple; (7) feeder; (8) ACF adsorber; (9) sampling; (10) induced fan.

Table 1. Composition of feedstocks and operating conditions

Test	Composition of Artificial Feedstocks (g/sample)			ACF Type	SO2 Concentration (ppm)	Adsorption Temperature (°C)
	Polypropylene	Sulfur	PE Bag
Run 1		—		ACF-A	0	200
Run 2		0.02		ACF-A	350	200
Run 3		0.03		ACF-A	750	200
Run 4		0.04		ACF-A	1000	200
Run 5	0.60	0.03	0.22	ACF-A	750	280
Run 6		0.03		ACF-A	750	160
Run 7		0.03		ACF-B	750	200
Run 8		0.03		ACF-C	750	200

Notes: PE = polyethylene; ACFs = activated carbon fibers.

Figure 2. Sampling train for PAHs: (1) sampling probe; (2) heated filter and heating hose; (3) thermometer; (4) cooling tube and XAD-4 adsorption tube; (5) 200 mL distilled water; (6) silica gel; (7) flow meter; (8) connect to vacuum pump.

Table 2. Specific surface area and porosity of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) by N₂ isotherms

			t-Plot Method
Sample	SBET^a (m^2/g)	VT^b (cm^3/g)	Smicro^c (<2 nm) (m^2/g)	Vmicro^d (<2 nm) (cm^3/g)	Vmeso^e (2–50 nm) (cm^3/g)
ACF-A	1175	0.57	534	0.23	0.34
ACF-B	1142	0.51	914	0.41	0.10
ACF-C	1204	0.58	579	0.25	0.34

Notes: ^aSpecific surface area by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. ^bTotal pore volume at P/P₀ = 0.98. ^cMicropore surface area. ^dMicropore volume. ^eMesopore volume.

Figure 3. FTIR spectrum for different activated carbon fibers (ACFs).

Table 3. Element content of the three activated carbon fibers (ACFs) by an elemental analyzer

	Element Content (wt. %)
Sample	C	N	O	H	O/C
ACF-A	65.19	2.62	27.66	3.82	0.42
ACF-B	52.15	2.58	40.02	4.49	0.77
ACF-C	59.14	2.22	30.42	4.02	0.51

Figure 4. The knitted structure of a piece of activated carbon fibers (ACFs): (a) ACF-A; (b) ACF-B; (c) ACF-C (25×).

Figure 5. Effects of SO₂ concentration on the removal efficiencies of SO₂ and PAHs (reaction condition: reaction temperature = 200 °C, ACF type: ACF-A).

Figure 6. Effects of reaction temperature on the removal efficiencies of SO₂ and PAHs (reaction condition: SO₂ concentration = 750 ppm, ACF type: ACF-A).

Figure 7. Effects of different ACF types on the removal efficiencies of SO₂ and PAHs (reaction condition: SO₂ concentration = 750 ppm, reaction temperature = 200 °C).