Application of a low-cost and high-efficiency polymer non-catalytic reduction technology for NOx removal in waste-to-energy plant.

Ultra-low emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) is an irreversible trend for the development of waste-to-energy industry. But traditional approaches to remove NOx face significant challenges, such as low denitration efficiency, complex denitration system, and high investment and operating cost. Here we put forward a novel polymer non-catalytic reduction (PNCR) technology that utilized a new type of polymer agent to remove NOx, and the proposed PNCR technology was applied to the existing waste-to-energy plant to test the denitration performance. The PNCR technology demonstrated excellent denitration performance with a NOx emission concentration of < 100 mg/Nm3 and high denitration efficiency of > 75 % at the temperature range of 800-900 °C, which showed the application feasibility even on the complex and unstable industrial operating conditions. In addition, PNCR and hybrid polymer/selective non-catalytic reduction (PNCR/SNCR) technology possessed remarkable economic advantages including low investment fee and low operating cost of < 10 CNY per ton of municipal solid waste (MSW) compared with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. The excellent denitration performance of PNCR technology forebodes a broad industrial application prospect in the field of flue gas cleaning for waste-to-energy plants.