Selection of best impregnated palm shell activated carbon (PSAC) for simultaneous removal of SO2 and NOx

This work examines the impregnated carbon-based sorbents for simultaneous removal of SO(2) and NOx from simulated flue gas. The carbon-based sorbents were prepared using palm shell activated carbon (PSAC) impregnated with several metal oxides (Ni, V, Fe and Ce). The removal of SO(2) and NOx from the simulated flue gas was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor. The results showed that PSAC impregnated with CeO(2) (PSAC-Ce) reported the highest sorption capacity among other impregnated metal oxides for the simultaneous removal of SO(2) and NOx. PSAC-Ce showed the longest breakthrough time of 165 and 115 min for SO(2) and NOx, respectively. The properties of the pure and impregnated PSAC were analyzed by BET, FTIR and XRF. The physical-chemical features of the PSAC-Ce sorbent indicated a catalytic activity in both the sorption of SO(2) and NOx. The formation of both sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) and nitrate (NO(3-)) species on spent PSAC-Ce further prove the catalytic role played by CeO(2).