SBIR Phase II: Photochemical Treatment of Dioxin-Furan Compound Emissions from Industrial Processes

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This SBIR Phase II research will advance the use of photochemistry for the control of toxic air pollutants emitted from industrial sources such as furnaces, boilers, and kilns. The types of ultraviolet lamp sources now used successfully for wastewater treatment, water purification, and air stream disinfection will be adapted for use in the more challenging environment of industrial process effluent gas streams. This research program concerns a photochemical system designed to destroy highly toxic compounds called dioxin-furans, which are unintended byproducts of some industrial processes. During an extended test program at an industrial facility, the researchers will evaluate: (1) long-term ultraviolet lamp energy efficiency in hot, dust-laden gas streams, (2) dioxin-furan destruction efficiencies during routine variations in source conditions, (3) reaction product characteristics, and (4) reductions in pollutants in addition to the targeted dioxin-furans. The broader impacts of this research will include an improved understanding of the chemical reactions of dioxin-furan compounds at the gas temperatures and pollutant concentrations typical of industrial gas streams. The results will help assess the applicability of photochemical systems to provide high efficiency air pollution control while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases produced by existing control techniques. Photochemical systems that destroy toxic air pollutants will provide an attractive alternative to systems that retain the toxic compounds on adsorbents disposed in landfills. The development of ultraviolet light technology will result in reduced air emissions of persistent toxic pollutants that bio-accumulates in the food chain and cause adverse human health effects.