Chemicals from Coal Complex (Eastman Company)

Development of novel gas cleaning and conditioning technologies is a key element in achieving near-zero emissions while meeting system performance
and cost goals. These technologies include advanced sorbents, reactor models, particulate filters, and other novel cleaning approaches, which remove gas contaminants.

When crude synthesis gas (syngas) leaves the gasifier, the gas stream must be cleaned and conditioned in order to remove feedstock contaminants. Not only must these be removed due to environmental concerns, but also to protect downstream processes, such as gas turbines, catalysts, and fuel cells, from being destroyed by coal contaminants. Immediately after leaving the gasifier, crude syngas is routed through heat exchangers and quench chambers to lower the temperature, then to a gas scrubber for further cooling and removal of solids such as slag. Many additional processes are used in combination to remove contaminants such as sulfur, ammonia, chlorides, mercury and other heavy volatile metals, and carbon dioxide.  

While gasification is already an ultra-clean technology, the cost of removing contaminants must be reduced. Many improvements are needed in gas cleaning and conditioning to overcome barriers to gasification system acceptance. Effective treatment of multiple contaminants is complicated and expensive, using numerous removal processes at varying temperatures. Cleanup of contaminants must be more tightly integrated to increase efficiency and reduce cost. To reduce cost and increase efficiency of syngas cleanup, R&D is being performed at warm temperatures (nominally 300-700^oF) and to create more tightly integrated processes to remove multiple contaminants.

Active Gas Cleaning and Conditioning Projects include the following:

• A Novel Sorbent-Based Process for High Temperature Trace Metal Removal
• Advanced Gasification Mercury/Trace Metal Control With Monolith Traps
• Development of an Integrated Multi-Contaminant Removal Process Applied to Warm Syngas Cleanup for Coal-Based Advanced Gasification Systems
• Evaluation of a Cyclone and Hot Gas Filter System
• Integrated Warm Gas Multicontaminant Cleanup Technologies for Coal-Derived Syngas
• Multi-Contaminant Removal from Coal Derived Syngas

Completed Gas Cleaning and Conditioning Projects include the following:

• Investigation of High Temperature Mercury Capture from Gas Streams
• Novel Technologies for Gaseous Contaminants Control

Other program elements within Gasification Technologies include:

• Advanced Gasification
• Gas Separation
• Systems and Industry Analyses