SBIR Phase I: Electrochemically-Mediated Highly Selective SO2 Scrubbing

SBIR第一期项目的更广泛影响是通过一种紧凑而有效的手段来减轻二氧化硫(SO2)的大气污染，二氧化硫是一种主要的人类健康和环境危害。传统的湿式除尘器安装成本高，而且占地面积大，降低了其在移动或空间有限的应用中的实用性。提议的二氧化硫捕获方法使用电力直接从气流中去除污染物，显著提高了能源效率，并消除了对传统二氧化硫洗涤器固有的腐蚀性化学物质的需求。海上航运业强调了消除二氧化硫的创新解决方案的必要性，最近关于二氧化硫排放的立法产生了对可改装到货船现有基础设施中的技术的迫切需求。该项目有可能扩展到许多提供电能的应用领域。所提出的脱除SO2的方法使用了一种称为电动摆动吸附(ESA)的技术，该技术使用的是含有电活性物种的聚合物复合电极，该电极可以通过充放电循环捕获和释放目标气体。这项技术已被证明可用于二氧化碳捕获，但在开发用于捕获二氧化硫的新化学物质方面存在重大挑战。第一阶段的研究将集中于从分子上了解二氧化硫反应的电化学机制。目标气体的结合常数可以作为电活性物种还原电位的函数来确定，从而提供了一种选择SO2捕集的最佳候选气体的方法，该候选SO2捕集相对于废气中存在的其他气体(例如CO2)具有高活性和选择性。电活性物种的吸收能力也将使用填充床吸收柱来模拟电动摆动吸附设备进行评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase I project is through a compact and efficient means of mitigating atmospheric pollution of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a major human health and environmental hazard. Conventional wet scrubbers for SO2 removal are expensive to install and are highly limited by their large footprint, reducing the practicality of their implementation for mobile or space-limited applications. The proposed approach to SO2 capture uses electricity to directly remove the contaminant from a gas stream, providing significant improvements in energy efficiency and eliminating the need for caustic chemicals inherent to conventional SO2 scrubbers. The need for innovative solutions for SO2 removal is highlighted in the maritime shipping industry, where recent legislation on SO2 emissions has created an immediate need for technology that can be retrofitted into existing infrastructure on cargo vessels. This project can potentially be extended to many applications where electrical energy is supplied.The proposed method of SO2 removal uses a technique known as electro-swing adsorption (ESA), which uses a polymer-composite electrode containing an electroactive species that can capture and release a target gas through charge/discharge cycles. This technology has been demonstrated for CO2 capture, but there are significant challenges associated with developing novel chemistry for capture of SO2. Phase I research will focus on gaining a molecular understanding of the electrochemical mechanism of SO2 reactivity. The binding constant for the target gas can be ascertained as a function of the reduction potential of the electroactive species, providing a method of selecting optimized candidates for SO2 capture that are highly reactive and selective over other gases present in exhaust streams, such as CO2. The absorption capacity of the electroactive species will also be assessed using packed-bed absorption columns to simulate an electro-swing adsorption device.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.