SGER: Membrane Contactor Reactors for Environmental Applications

这个探索性研究（SGER）项目的小额赠款旨在开发一种催化反应器，以去除垃圾填埋气体（LFG）中的有毒成分，使其可以用作替代能源。知识价值：全国约产生1 MM ftP3P/min的LFG。LFG是一种潜在的重要可再生燃料，因为它通常含有50%以上的CHB4B。目前，很大一部分LFG被燃烧。其余部分用于发电和中等BTU气体型（例如，用于锅炉）应用。LFG利用的主要障碍之一是其各种腐蚀性污染物，例如含卤素和含硫化合物，需要经常维修能源生产设备，并可能导致最终故障。最糟糕的是，在燃烧或能源生产过程中，含卤素和硫的污染物被排放到大气中，严重造成空气污染，特别是酸雨。由于这些污染物的浓度范围很广，而且存在的量很少，因此在燃烧前从LFG中去除这些污染物是一个难题。这些因素给传统的清理技术带来了困难，这些技术已被证明对LFG清理无效。PIs计划基于赋予氧化纳米催化剂的“孔流反应器”（PoFR）的概念，评估一种适合LFG净化的催化氧化技术。这是一个重要的目标，因为如果开发出一种能够经济有效地去除LFG有毒污染物的工艺，就可以实现经济、环境和能源优势。在这个项目的重点是复杂的反应和传输过程的基础研究，发生在这样一个反应堆；理解和模拟在LFG中遇到的复杂杂原子化合物的催化燃烧将是一项重大的基础科学进步。正是这种更好的基本理解将导致进一步技术发展PoFR概念所需的主要技术进步。该项目将与工业伙伴M&amp；P和GCE合作开发。M&amp；P是一家致力于开发和应用这些新型材料的无机膜制造商。GCE是一家专门从事LFG收集和利用的工程公司。更广泛的影响：该研究项目将为学生提供准备和表征新颖新材料的机会，并学习一系列最先进的计算和实验技术。该项目还将为参与的学生提供与工业研究人员互动的机会。南加州大学的城市环境提供了与该地区各种2-4年制大学合作的机会，其中一些主要是少数民族机构。私人学院计划招收合格的本科生作为暑期实习生，并有可能招收研究生。他们还将利用南加州大学不断发展的本科课程计划，该计划强调垂直和水平整合的“学位项目”，包括与每个核心化学工程课程相关的重点实验/实验室模块。ppi设想整合研究成果和他们的工作方面作为“学位项目？反应器分析、输运现象和分离课程。这种催化反应器技术将经济有效地去除LFG中的有毒污染物，具有显著的经济、环境和能源优势，并将使LFG（以及一般的沼气）充分发挥其作为有价值的可再生燃料的潜力。

CBET-0816330TsotsisThis Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) project is aimed at developing a catalytic reactor to remove toxic components of landfill gas (LFG) so that it can be used as an alternate source of energy.Intellectual Merit: Nationwide about ~1 MM ftP3P/min of LFG is generated. LFG is potentially an important renewable fuel, as it typically contains more than 50% CHB4B. At the present time a large fraction of LFG is flared. The rest is utilized for electric power generation, and for medium BTU gas-type (e.g., use in boilers) applications. One of the major roadblocks to the utilization of LFG is its miscellaneous corrosive contaminants, e.g., halogen and sulfur containing compounds, which necessitate frequent energy producing equipment servicing, and may lead to eventual failure. Worst of all, halogen and sulfur containing contaminants are emitted to the atmosphere, during flaring or energy production, contributing significantly to air pollution, particularly to acid rain. The removal of these contaminants from LFG prior to combustion is a difficult problem, because of their wide concentration range, and their presence at trace amounts. These factors present difficulties for conventional clean-up technologies, which have proven ineffective for LFG clean-up. The PIs plan to evaluate a catalytic oxidation technology appropriate for LFG clean-up, based on the concept of a "pore-flow reactor" (PoFR) endowed with an oxidation nanocatalyst. This is an important goal as economical, environmental, and energy advantages can be realized, if a process is developed that cost-effectively removes the LFG toxic contaminants. The emphasis in this project is on fundamental investigations of the complex reaction and transport processes that occur in such a reactor; a major fundamental scientific advance will be understanding and modeling the catalytic combustion of the complex heteroatom compounds encountered in LFG. It is such better fundamental understanding that will lead to the main technological advances needed for the further technical development of the PoFR concept. The project will be developed with collaboration with industrial partners M&P and GCE. M&P is an inorganic membrane manufacturer dedicated to the development and application of these novel materials. GCE is an Engineering Company specializing in LFG collection and utilization. Broader Impact: This research project will provide students with the opportunity to prepare and characterize novel new materials, and to learn a host of state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques. The project will also provide the students involved with the opportunity to interact with industrial researchers. The urban setting of USC affords the opportunity to work with a variety of 2-4 year colleges in the area, several of which are predominantly minority Institutions. The PIs plan to recruit qualified undergraduates as summer interns, and potentially as incoming graduate students. They will also take advantage of the ever-evolving undergraduate curriculum program at USC, which emphasizes vertically- and horizontally-integrated "degree projects" consisting of emphasis-specific experimental/laboratory modules associated with each core Chemical Engineering course. The PIs envision integrating research findings and aspects of their work as the "degree projects? in the Reactor Analysis, Transport Phenomena, and Separation courses. This catalytic reactor technology will cost-effectively remove the toxic contaminants from LFG, offer significant economical, environmental, and energy advantages, and will allow LFG (and biogas in general) to gain its full potential as a valuable renewable fuel.